5 Pfennig

Borkum is the westernmost of the East Frisian Islands, and like dozens of German coastal and rural municipalities in 1920, it issued its own Kleingeldersatz — small change substitutes — to offset the chronic coin shortage that had persisted since the war and worsened sharply during the early inflation period. This note is part of a broader Notgeld phenomenon that briefly turned municipal treasurers into de facto currency designers across thousands of German communities.

The Gemeinderat series from Borkum is catalogued under multiple sub-varieties in Grabowski, with paper color and serial distinctions separating the types. The 4a designation places this within a specific print run differentiated from otherwise near-identical siblings.