40 Pfennig

Stedesand is a village in the Schleswig borderland, and this note dates from the plebiscite period — the months surrounding the February 1920 vote that would determine whether northern Schleswig returned to Denmark or remained German. Notgeld issued by tiny municipalities in this zone carried an unmistakable political charge; the choice of imagery, language, and even typeface could signal allegiance. Whether Thayzen's design reflects that tension deliberately is unclear, but the timing was not accidental.

Gebr. & Kunze of Flensburg — a city itself divided by the same vote — printed extensively for local Schleswig Notgeld issuers during this window.