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25 Goldmarks
| Issuer | Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Other (Velvet) |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed in black on lavender velvet with pinking-sheared edges, the obverse carries the issuer's title 'Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld' in Gothic blackletter script at the top, above a central expressionist vignette of two stylised dragons flanking a human figure, with the numeral '25' within an oval and 'GOLDMARK' in bold capitals below. Dense German marginal text runs in vertical columns along both lateral edges, while the lower register bears 'FÜNFUNDZWANZIG GOLDMARK / CONTO 12' at left and the date 'BIELEFELD, 15. DEZEMBER 1923' with the issuing authority 'STADTRAT' and a manuscript signature at right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse consists of the plain lavender velvet substrate with no printed design, the textile's natural woven texture left fully exposed. A small circular ink stamp is present slightly left of centre, and minor surface marks consistent with circulation handling are distributed across the field. |
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| Comments |
One of the more unusual artifacts of the German hyperinflation emergency currency program, this Bielefeld Notgeld was issued by the municipal savings bank as part of a series printed on unconventional materials — linen, silk, and velvet — intended partly as novelty collectibles that the public would keep rather than spend. The Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld was unusually prolific in this regard, commissioning E. Gundlach A.-G. locally to produce fabric-based issues that circulated alongside the paper ones.
The velvet substrate made cancellation difficult and wear patterns atypical. Gra#114b differentiates this variant within the Bielefeld fabric series by material specification.