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5 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Mainz (City of Mainz) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in Fraktur (blackletter) script on paper with a light green guilloche underprint composed of repeating circular medallion patterns incorporating the city name as a security element. The heading 'Gutschein der Stadt Mainz über Fünf Mark' is set within a decorative scrollwork border at the top, with the issue date 'Mainz, 16. Oktober 1918' and the authority title 'Der Oberbürgermeister' flanking a manuscript signature at lower centre. A small embossed city seal vignette appears at upper left, and a punch-cancellation hole is visible in the vicinity of the seal. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Embossed seal, Punch cancellation |
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| Comments |
Mainz issued this Notgeld note in 1918 as the German war economy ground down the supply of small coinage — Reichsbank metal had been diverted to munitions, and municipalities across the Reich scrambled to fill the gap with locally authorized paper. The 5 Mark denomination sits at the upper end of what most cities issued in this form; smaller pfennig and 1–2 Mark values were far more common at the municipal level.
The punch cancellation indicates this example was officially withdrawn from circulation and voided — standard procedure when Notgeld was redeemed, though not all issuers bothered. That the embossed seal survives intact alongside a punch hole is worth noting: cancellation practices varied considerably between municipalities.