5 Mark

Karlsruhe's municipal administration issued this note under the emergency currency provisions that proliferated across German cities and towns from 1914 onward, but the 5 Mark denomination places it at the upper end of what most Städte dared to authorize — smaller municipalities typically stopped at 1 or 2 Mark. C. F. Müller'sche Hofbuchdruckerei was the city's own court printer, a logical choice for speed and discretion, and the dry stamp served as the authentication device in lieu of more elaborate security printing that wartime paper shortages made impractical.

1918 issues from this series were often redeemed rapidly after the Armistice as municipal authorities scrambled to retire their Notgeld liabilities before regional and national oversight tightened.