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20 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Kaiserslautern |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Mark |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Notgeld gutschein printed in dark red and cream, with a bold striped border enclosing the central text panel. The denomination "ZWANZIG MARK" is set in large Gothic blackletter type at centre, above which the issuing authority "Stadtgemeinde Kaiserslautern" appears in script, followed by "GUTSCHEIN ÜBER" in Roman capitals. A large numeral "20" underprint in red appears behind the serial number field at lower left, with the date "KAISERSLAUTERN, 10. OKTOBER 1918" and two manuscript signatures below, attributed to the Rechtsk. Bürgermeister and the Stadt-Einnehmer respectively. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in rose-pink on cream paper, with a fine guilloche lattice underprint covering the entire field. At centre, a cartouche with ornamental scrollwork corners encloses a vertical-line background against which the large numeral "20" is rendered in cream script lettering. |
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| Comments |
Kaiserslautern's 20 Mark Notgeld from 1918 belongs to the first serious wave of municipal emergency currency in Germany, issued as the imperial banking system buckled under wartime coin hoarding and metal requisitions. Municipal administrations were effectively forced to self-issue — there was no central coordination, no standardized redemption guarantee, and no assurance these notes would be honored beyond the issuing town's borders.
Palatinate Notgeld from this period is less commonly encountered than issues from Saxony or the Rhineland industrial centers. Whether Kaiserslautern printed locally or contracted a regional press remains unconfirmed in most catalog references.