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5 Pfennig Merck
| Issuer | E. Merck, Darmstadt |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 60 × 40 mm |
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| Obverse description | Red-ground note with a repeated cursive script underprint reading 'E. Merck' across the entire field. A bold numeral '5' with a Pfennig symbol appears in the upper left, while a stark black silhouette vignette of the Merck factory complex — with a tall chimney stack, water tower, and sawtooth-roofed production halls — occupies the centre. The issuer's name 'E. MERCK · DARMSTADT' is set in roman capitals along the lower margin, above a decorative blackletter inscription reading 'Notgeld'. |
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| Obverse lettering | 5 Pf Notgeld E. MERCK · DARMSTADT E. Merck |
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| Comments |
E. Merck of Darmstadt issued small-denomination Notgeld during the acute coin shortage that gripped Germany from around 1916 onward, when base metals were being pulled from circulation for war production. Pharmaceutical and chemical firms issuing their own scrip was not unusual in that period — employers needed something to make change for workers, and municipal authorities could not always supply it fast enough.
At 60 × 40 mm, this is among the smallest paper Notgeld produced. Fragility in circulation was inevitable, and surviving uncreased examples are genuinely uncommon.