Catalog
5 Mark
| Issuer | Reichsschuldenverwaltung (Reich Debt Administration) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1873-1923) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | A full-length armored knight stands at right, holding a drawn sword, rendered in fine intaglio engraving against an elaborate foliate scrollwork border. At lower right, the Imperial German eagle coat of arms is displayed. The large Gothic-script denomination "Fünf Mark" is set centrally, with a large underprint numeral "5" behind the text, and two manuscript signatures appear below the issuing authority inscription. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | F·Nr 167955 Fünf Mark (Translation: Five Mark) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Reichsschuldenverwaltung was not a central bank but a debt management office — an unusual issuing authority for circulating currency. These 5 Mark notes of 1882 were Reichskassenscheine, Treasury notes backed by the imperial government rather than by a note-issuing bank, a distinction that mattered legally even if the public largely treated them as interchangeable with Reichsbank paper.
The series was printed at the Reichsdruckerei in Berlin, which had only recently been reorganized as a state printing enterprise following unification. Fine paper aging and ink oxidation are documented problems with surviving examples from this issue.