5 Mark

Gießen's municipal 5 Mark note of 1918 is a product of wartime Kommunalgeld — the emergency paper issued by German cities, towns, and districts when the imperial monetary system buckled under the strain of four years of conflict. By 1918, metal coinage had largely vanished from everyday commerce, hoarded or melted, forcing local authorities to paper over the gap with their own obligations. The city turned to Brühl, a local Gießen printer, rather than one of the major specialist houses, which was typical of smaller municipalities working with whatever press capacity remained available domestically.