Catalog
5 Francs / 4 Marks
| Issuer | État du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Printer | Giesecke & Devrient, Leipzig, Germany |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Grossherzoglich Luxemburgischer Staat Kassenschein auf den Inhaber Gesetz vom 28. November 1914 Fünf Franken gleich Vier Mark Die General-Staatskasse Die Kontrolle Wer Kassenscheine nachmacht oder verfälscht, wird mit Zwangsarbeit von 15 bis 20 Jahren bestraft GIESECKE & DEVRIENT (Translation: State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Cash Voucher to bearer Law of November 28, 1914 Five Francs equal Four Marks The General State Treasury The Control Office Those who counterfeit or falsify Cash Vouchers will be punished with forced labor for 15 to 20 years.) |
| Reverse description | Brownish purple on lilac and green guilloche underprint. The centre of the reverse carries a large numeral denomination value set within a multi-layered geometric guilloche pattern, framed by an ornate border with repeating floral and lace motifs consistent with the obverse design. |
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| Comments |
Luxembourg's dual-denomination note — face value in both francs and marks — reflects the peculiar monetary position the Grand Duchy occupied in August 1914. Formally within the Latin Monetary Union and using the Luxembourg franc, it simultaneously maintained close economic ties to Germany; when German troops occupied Luxembourg within days of the war's outbreak, the need for a currency acceptable under both systems became immediately practical.
Giesecke & Devrient's Leipzig plant produced this note for the occupying situation — the irony being that a German printer supplied the instrument by which Luxembourg nominally maintained its own state finances under German occupation.