2 Deutsche Mark v. Bodelschwinghsche Anstalten Bethel

The Bodelschwingh institutions at Bethel, near Bielefeld, operated one of the largest Protestant welfare communities in Germany — a self-contained settlement for people with epilepsy, psychiatric conditions, and other disabilities that by the mid-twentieth century had its own workshops, farms, and internal economy. This scrip was a functional instrument within that closed system, allowing residents and staff to transact without access to federal currency. The arrangement had deep roots: Bethel had issued internal currency since the late nineteenth century.

Giesecke & Devrient printing the piece is not incidental — the institution insisted on professionally produced notes specifically to discourage counterfeiting within the community.