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2 Mark
| Issuer | Sparkasse der Stadt Wattenscheid |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 166 x 106 mm |
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| Obverse description | Cream-toned notgeld printed in red and black, with a bold vertical guilloche band of interlocking irregular cell patterns running through the centre. The serial number appears in a red-framed box at upper left, and the denomination "Mark 2.-" in a matching box at upper right. The issuer's name, "Die Sparkasse der Stadt Wattenscheid," is set in large gothic script across the upper portion, followed by the redemption clause text in smaller letterpress, with the value "Zwei Mark" emphasised in large calligraphic script at centre. The date "Wattenscheid, den 10. August 1914" appears at lower left alongside a circular official violet stamp bearing a standing figure, while the issuer's printed signature line and two manuscript signatures appear at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Official stamp |
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| Comments |
Wattenscheid was an independent industrial town in the Ruhr — not incorporated into Gelsenkirchen until 1975 — and its municipal savings bank was among hundreds of German local institutions that issued emergency paper (Notgeld) in the weeks following the outbreak of war in August 1914. The trigger was straightforward: the public hoarded coins the moment mobilization was announced, and small-denomination metal currency vanished from circulation almost overnight. Municipal and savings bank authorities scrambled to fill the gap before the Reichsbank could respond at scale.
The official stamp serves as the primary authentication device, a common expedient for first-wave 1914 issues where speed mattered more than security printing.