Catalog
20 Mark Reichskassenschein
| Issuer | Reichsschuldenverwaltung (Reich Debt Administration) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
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| In circulation to | 31 December 1910 |
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| Obverse lettering | REICHSKASSENSCHEIN Geſetz vom 30. April 1874. ZWANZIG MARK Berlin den 10. Januar 1882. Reichsſchuldenverwaltung. Wer Reichskaſſenscheine nachmache oder verfälſche, oder nachgemachte oder verfälſchte Reichskaſſenſcheine wiſſentlich in Verkehr bringe, wird nach §§ 146 bis 149 des Straf= gesetzbuchs vom 15. Mai 1871 beſtraft. (Translation: Reich Treasury Notes Act of April 30, 1874. Twenty Mark Berlin, January 10, 1882. Reich Debt Administration Whoever counterfeits or falsifies Reich Treasury Notes, or knowingly puts counterfeit or falsified Reich Treasury Notes into circulation, shall be punished in accordance with §§ 146 to 149 of the Criminal Code of May 15, 1871.) |
| Reverse description | The reverse is divided into two distinct panels: the left half bears a light blue fibre-embedded paper ground with a red serial number prefix and two red circular seals of the Reichsschuldenverwaltung each bearing the numeral '20' and the Imperial eagle. The right half presents a dark green guilloche underprint over which a large intaglio numeral '20' appears at upper right, with a flowing ribbon scroll carrying the Gothic inscription 'Zwanzig Mark' in red letterpress across the centre. |
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| Comments |
The Reichskassenschein series occupied an odd administrative position: these were not Reichsbank notes but direct obligations of the imperial treasury, issued under the 1874 Reich Kassenschein law as a parallel small-denomination paper currency. The 1882 date places this note during a period of relative monetary stability, well before the pressures that would eventually retire the Kassenschein format in favor of consolidated Reichsbank coverage.
Reichsdruckerei held the contract from the outset — the Berlin state printing works had been reorganized under that name in 1879, making this an early production run under the new institutional identity.