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20 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Mainz (City of Mainz) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Marks |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Wer Gutscheine nachmacht oder verfälscht oder nachgemachte oder verfälschte sich verschafft und in Verkehr bringt, wird nach den einschlägigen Bestimmungen des Strafgesetzbuchs mit Zuchthaus bestraft. |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Embossed seal |
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| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Mainz issued this note under the emergency currency provisions that proliferated across German municipalities in the final year of the First World War, when the Reichsbank's ability to supply adequate coin and small-denomination notes had collapsed under wartime strain. The city's own treasury backed it, which meant its value was only as good as local confidence — and in late 1918, that confidence was evaporating fast alongside the political order itself.
The embossed seal was the primary authenticity mechanism, a low-tech solution typical of municipal offices without access to sophisticated printing infrastructure. Notgeld of this period is often found with folds and handling wear concentrated along the horizontal center crease, a result of how these notes were routinely folded for pocket storage during daily use.