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25 Pfennig Cafe Monopol
| Issuer | Café Monopol, Osnabrück (Notgeld, Prussian Province of Hanover) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 25 Pfennigs (25 Pfennige) (0.25) |
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| Obverse description | Mauve and cream letterpress note with a central line-art vignette of the Café Monopol corner building, horse-drawn cart in front. Denomination "25" appears in upper corners flanked by ornamental scroll underprints on each side. Lower panel carries validity inscription and a manuscript signature, with printer imprint at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | (left side top) In all den Deutschen Bundesstaaten Verbieten jetzt die Bürostaten Für's Volk die Schnäpse frei zu Brennen: Denn "Michel" macht jetzt selbst das Rennen. (right side top) Weh dem! der wegen Billigkeit Schnaps fabriziert in unserer Zeit. Die Polizei ist auf der Hut! Und find sie da – da Hab'n sie Mut! Osnabrück + Café Monopol + Osnabrück (Translation: (left side top) In all German federal states The bureaucrats are now banning For the people, free distilling of schnapps: Because "Michel" is now running it himself. (right side top) Woe to him! who for cheapness' sake Produces schnapps in our time. The police are on the lookout! And find them there – have courage!) |
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| Comments |
Café Monopol was one of hundreds of German commercial establishments that issued their own emergency currency during the postwar coin shortage of 1920–1921, when the state simply could not produce enough small-denomination metal. This example was printed by Meinders & Elstermann, an Osnabrück firm that handled a substantial portion of the local Notgeld output for businesses and municipalities throughout the region — a practical monopoly on emergency paper for the area, which gives the issuer's name a certain irony.
Commercial Notgeld of this type was redeemable in-house, making it as much a loyalty instrument as a monetary substitute. Few pieces from café issuers survive in quantity; most were spent, lost, or simply discarded once the shortage passed.