Catalog
20 Mark
| Issuer | Der Magistrat der Stadt Elmshorn |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Marks |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Aushilfsschein der Stadt Elmshorn. Zwanzig Mark Dieser Aushilfsschein wird von der Stadtkasse und den andern hiesigen Geldinstituten bis zum 31. Dezember 1918 in Zahlung genommen. Er verliert seine Gültigkeit, wenn er nicht bis zum 31. Dezember 1918 bei der Stadtkasse oder einem der andern hiesigen Geldinstitute zur Zahlung vorgelegt ist. Elmshorn, den 7. November 1918. Der Magistrat der Stadt Elmshorn. Zwanzig Mark 20 |
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| Reverse lettering | 20 Mark 20 Mark J.M. Groth, Buchdruckerei, Elmshorn |
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| Comments |
Elmshorn's municipal administration issued this note under the emergency currency provisions that proliferated across German towns from 1914 onward, but the 20 Mark denomination places it at the heavier end of Notgeld values — most municipalities kept their emergency issues well below 10 Mark to manage local redemption risk. Printing was handled by J.M. Groth's local press, which was standard practice for Schleswig-Holstein towns unwilling or unable to wait on overextended commercial printers in Hamburg.
By late 1918, municipal redemption guarantees were increasingly theoretical. The armistice in November that year coincided with accelerating inflation that would render the face value meaningless within a few years regardless.