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20 Mark
| Issuer | Federal Republic of Germany |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Deutsche Mark 20 DEM = USD 12 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green children's play money (Kinderspielgeld) printed in a single green tone, with a classical vignette at left showing a seated woman in period dress beside an urn and architectural backdrop. The right half carries a bold guilloche rosette with the denomination numeral 20 at centre, heart-shaped corner ornaments bearing the value, and a serial number printed twice across the upper field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse printed on plain uncoated paper with no design, vignette, or lettering; the surface shows only the natural texture and slight discolouration of the paper stock. |
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| Comments |
This is the Bank Deutscher Länder 20 Mark issued under the June 1948 currency reform — one of the most consequential monetary events in postwar European history. The reform wiped out the Reichsmark overnight, replacing it at a brutal 10:1 ratio for most holdings, and these early BDL notes were rushed into circulation with almost no lead time. The Allied-controlled printing logistics meant the notes were actually produced in the United States, by the American Bank Note Company and others, before being shipped to Germany.
The BDL series was always intended as a transitional issue, pending the establishment of the Bundesbank in 1957.