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25 Mark Stadtsparkasse
| Issuer | Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 25 Mark |
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| Obverse description | Printed on woven silk in orange, green, and dark blue, the obverse centres on an oval vignette in the Art Nouveau manner showing a kneeling allegorical female figure holding a spear, surrounded by standing and gesturing human figures against a stylised sunburst and landscape. The denomination '25' appears in large numerals at each of the four corners, with the date '2·4·1922' and facsimile Stadtrat signatures at lower right. Continuous inscriptions in varying scripts run along all four borders, forming an integral decorative frame with scalloped inner edges. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse, likewise printed on silk in orange, green, and dark blue, is dominated by a large central sun motif with pointed rays, bearing the inscription 'MARKT 25' in bold numerals within the disc. Sweeping calligraphic lettering in green fills the field around the sun, interspersed with small athletic figures and star ornaments at the corners. A reference to cycling world champion Guignard and his record of 101 km 623 m in one hour on the Göricke bicycle is inscribed along the upper border, with the printer's imprint 'DRUCK: E. GUNDLACH A·G BIELEFELD' and legal notice 'GESETZLICH GESCHÜTZT D.G.M.' at the foot. |
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| Comments |
Bielefeld's silk Notgeld issues of 1921–1923 are among the most technically unusual emergency currency produced anywhere in Germany during the inflation period. The Stadtsparkasse commissioned E. Gundlach — a local textile and printing firm — to produce notes on actual woven silk, a deliberate choice rooted in the theory that material-backed currency would hold public confidence better than paper. Whether it did is debatable, but the silk substrate gave these notes a durability that most Weimar-era Notgeld never achieved.
Gundlach also produced linen issues for Bielefeld, and the two series are sometimes conflated by collectors. Silk examples show a distinctly finer weave when examined under magnification.