5 Mark Stadtsparkasse

Bielefeld's Stadtsparkasse was among hundreds of German municipal savings institutions that resorted to Notgeld during 1918 as the Reichsbank's coin and small-denomination note supply collapsed under wartime strain. This particular issue was printed locally by E. Gundlach, a Bielefeld commercial printer with no particular banknote pedigree — which is exactly the point. Municipal necessity, not central authority, drove these printings, and quality control was whatever the local printer could manage.

Bielefeld would later become famous in Notgeld circles for its 1921–22 linen and leather issues, which drew international collector attention. The 1918 paper series is the unglamorous precursor.