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2 Mark
| Issuer | Städtische Sparkasse zu Bochum |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 156 × 95 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Official seal |
| Protection description | Circular violet ink stamp of the Städtische Sparkasse Bochum with municipal arms; note required two manuscript signatures and the official seal to be valid |
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| Comments |
The Städtische Sparkasse zu Bochum issued this note in August or September 1914 as a direct response to the hoarding crisis that struck German retail commerce within days of war being declared. The Reichsbank could not distribute small-denomination coin fast enough, and municipal savings banks across the Ruhr were authorized — informally at first, then more explicitly — to issue their own Notgeld to keep local trade moving. Bochum, a heavy industrial center, had particular urgency: factory payrolls depended on fractional currency that had simply vanished from circulation.
The sole security feature being an official seal reflects the rushed nature of the issue and the assumption, widely shared in the summer of 1914, that the war would be over before counterfeiting became a serious concern.