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20 Mark
| Issuer | Deutsche Notenbank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1964 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 145 × 70 mm |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait vignette of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe occupies the right half of the note, rendered in fine line engraving against a guilloche underprint in muted green and yellow tones at centre. The large numeral '20' and the denomination inscription 'ZWANZIG MARK' are set within an ornate rosette guilloche at left-centre, above the issuing authority 'DER DEUTSCHEN NOTENBANK DDR'. The place and date of issue 'Berlin 1964' appear at lower left, with the signer's name 'JOHANN WOLFGANG v. GOETHE' lettered in small capitals beneath the portrait. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Watermark visible in the unprinted left margin area of the note |
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| Comments |
The Deutsche Notenbank was the central bank of the GDR from 1948 until 1968, when it was reorganized as the Staatsbank der DDR. This 1964 issue belongs to a series that was gradually phased out as the DDR tightened monetary controls through the late 1960s — the 20 Mark denomination in particular circulated heavily in the informal economy, where it functioned as a de facto unit of account for goods that were technically not for sale.
Printed domestically by the Staatsdruckerei der DDR rather than contracted abroad, the series reflects the GDR's policy of self-sufficiency in state printing after the early 1950s dependency on Soviet facilities.