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20 Thaler
| Issuer | Hannoversche Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The face is executed in fine intaglio engraving and presents a symmetrical composition with two allegorical figure groups flanking the central text panel: at left, Mercury and a female companion, at right, two further classical figures, all rendered in detailed letterpress vignette style. The denomination "Zwanzig Thaler Courant" is set in ornate Gothic blackletter script at centre, beneath a foliate cartouche bearing the title "Hannoversche Banknote." in a ribbon frame, with the numerals "20" placed in the upper corners, series designation "Serie VI." and "Lit. C." at top, and the issue date "Hannover, den 1. März 1857" below the main text, with signature lines for the Regierungs-Commissair and Verwaltungsrath at foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse carries the numeric denomination value "20" repeated in the upper left and right corners and again in the lower centre, flanking a central heraldic vignette referencing the Kingdom of Hannover. The composition is framed by decorative guilloche borders and typographic ornaments consistent with the mid-nineteenth-century German banknote style. |
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| Comments |
The Hannoversche Bank was a private issuing bank established in Hanover in 1856, operating under a royal charter from the Kingdom of Hannover. Its lifespan was short and politically determined: when Prussia annexed Hannover in 1866, the bank's note-issuing privileges were eventually wound down, making the entire series historically compressed into roughly a decade of output.
Giesecke & Devrient had only recently been founded in Leipzig when they took on this commission — the firm was established in 1852, placing this 1857 note among their earliest significant banknote productions. The 20 Thaler denomination was a substantial sum in circulation terms, equivalent to several weeks' wages for a skilled tradesman.