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25 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Gera (City of Gera, Thuringia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress-printed Notgeld on plain paper, the face dominated by the large denomination numeral '25 Pfennig' in ornate blackletter script within a central oval guilloche vignette, flanked by four circular rosette medallions bearing the numeral '25' in each corner. The title 'Gutschein der Stadt Gera' is set in decorative Gothic script above the central vignette, with the serial number printed in red at the top. Below the central device appears the text 'Der Oberbürgermeister' above a manuscript facsimile signature, with the issue legend 'Ausgegeben im Jahre 1920.' at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain brown-printed reverse on a wavy-line guilloche underprint background, centred on a large circular medallion enclosing the coat of arms of the city of Gera — a heraldic lion passant on a divided shield — surrounded by an elaborate engine-turned border of concentric ornamental rings. Two flanking circular rosette medallions, each bearing the denomination numeral '25', are positioned to the left and right of the central arms vignette. |
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| Comments |
Gera's 1920 Kleingeldscheine were a direct response to the acute coin shortage that gripped Germany in the immediate postwar years — silver had been hoarded or melted, and the Reichsbank could not produce fractional coinage fast enough to meet demand. Municipalities across Germany were legally empowered to fill the gap themselves, and hundreds did. Gera was among the more prolific Thuringian issuers.
Local printing kept costs down but quality variable. Paper stocks used by smaller city issuers in this period are often acidic and prone to toning, which affects survivability more than handling does.