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25 Pfennig Notables and Sights Series - Issue 1 - Bach
| Issuer | City of Arnstadt (Thuringia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
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| Size | 102 × 73 mm |
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| Obverse description | Green and red letterpress design on a cream ground, enclosed within a double-ruled green border. The large numeral '25' in green with a heraldic black eagle superimposed at centre dominates the composition, flanked by decorative scroll flourishes. The issuing legend 'Notgeld der Stadt Arnstadt' arcs across the top in red Gothic blackletter, the denomination 'Pfennig' appears below the numeral, validity text is inscribed in the lower-left corner, a facsimile signature with the series letter 'A' occupies the lower right, and the year '1921' is set at the foot of the vignette. |
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| Reverse description | Black and green letterpress vignette on a tan ground, set within a plain ruled border. A finely rendered circular medallion at centre presents a right-facing profile portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach in period wig, set against a green disc ground, the whole framed by stylised organ-pipe columns rising on either side in a tympanum arrangement. The denomination '25' appears in bold red numerals in both upper corners, the name 'Bach' is lettered in a decorative cartouche along the lower margin, and the designer's monogram 'APW' is inscribed beneath the frame. |
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| Comments |
Arnstadt's claim to Bach is legitimate — he served as organist at the Neue Kirche there from 1703 to 1707, and the town has traded on that association ever since. This note is part of a broader Notgeld series commissioned from A. Paul Weber, who by 1921 was developing the illustrative style that would later define his career as one of Germany's most politically charged graphic artists.
The printed date of 30 April 1945 is worth pausing on: that is the day Berlin fell and Hitler died, making it an unlikely coincidence for any official print run.