Catalog
5 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Wanfried (City of Wanfried) |
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| Year | |
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| Printer | P. Israel, Wanfried a. W., Germany |
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| Obverse description | Orange and cream lithograph notgeld on plain paper, with a central circular vignette of the official seal of the City of Wanfried bearing a standing armoured knight holding a sword and shield, dated 1609, within the legend 'STADT WANFRIED SIEGEL DER'. Flanking the seal on either side are symmetrical scroll ornaments in orange, with validity disclaimer text in Fraktur script to the left and right and a manuscript signature at the lower right. The lower register carries the bold Fraktur inscription 'Not-Geld der Stadt Wanfried' in two lines, with the printer's imprint 'LITH.u.DRUCK P. ISRAEL, WANFRIED A/W.' at the foot. |
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| Reverse lettering | 5 Pfennig. Stadt Wanfried |
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| Comments |
Wanfried am Werra is a small town on the Hesse-Thuringia border, and this 5 Pfennig note is a product of the Kleingeldschein phenomenon — the acute small-denomination coin shortage that forced hundreds of German municipalities to print their own emergency currency during and after the First World War. P. Israel was the local printer, not a specialist currency house, which accounts for the modest production quality typical of these hyperlocal issues.
The issuing authority had no banking infrastructure behind it. These notes circulated by civic trust alone.