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2 Pfennige v. Bodelschwinghsche Anstalten Bethel
| Issuer | v. Bodelschwinghsche Anstalten Bethel (Bethel Institution) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Pfennigs (2 Pfennige) (0.02) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Small-format notgeld note printed in black on white paper, enclosed within a decorative border of fine interlocking geometric guilloche ornament. The central vignette presents a large bold numeral '2' within an octagonal frame, flanked on either side by vignettes of the Bethel institution buildings set among trees. The issuer inscription and denomination legend are arranged in two lines above and below the central vignette respectively, with the value numeral '2' repeated in each corner. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain unprinted reverse showing the light impression of the obverse design bleeding through the thin paper stock, with the decorative guilloche border faintly visible as a ghost image. The surface is white and largely unadorned, consistent with the simple utilitarian production typical of small-denomination emergency currency of the Notgeld period. |
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| Comments |
Bethel, near Bielefeld, was a Protestant welfare institution founded in 1867 to care for epilepsy patients — eventually expanding into one of Germany's largest diaconal communities, housing thousands of residents with various disabilities. It issued its own internal scrip, the so-called Bethel-Geld, to circulate exclusively within the institution's grounds. The reasoning was partly paternalistic and partly practical: controlling the internal currency prevented residents and workers from spending wages at outside establishments.
The 2 Pfennige denomination is among the smallest in the Bethel series — low enough that its primary use was likely canteen or workshop transactions within the community.