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50 Deutsche Mark
| Issuer | Bank Deutscher Länder |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette in intaglio of a classical allegorical female figure seated amidst sheaves of wheat, rendered in a neoclassical engraving style against a lightly tinted guilloche underprint. The denomination numeral '50' appears in large ornate cartouches to the left and right of the central vignette, with serial number printed twice in the upper portion of the note. The inscription 'SERIE 1948' appears at lower left, with 'FÜNFZIG DEUTSCHE MARK' in letterpress across the bottom margin beneath a 'BANKNOTE' header at top. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Entirely typographic and ornamental design printed in dark blue-violet, dominated by the large bold inscription 'FÜNFZIG' and 'DEUTSCHE MARK' centered within an elaborate guilloche border framework. Three denomination numerals '50' appear in circular rosette medallions along the lower portion, with additional '50' numerals set into the side panels of the intricate engine-turned border. The header 'BANKNOTE' runs across the top in a style matching the obverse. |
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| Comments |
The Bank Deutscher Länder was itself a provisional institution — established in March 1948 under Allied authority as a temporary central bank for the Western occupation zones before the Federal Republic existed. This 50 Mark note arrived with the currency reform of June 1948, the Währungsreform that replaced the discredited Reichsmark at a brutal 10:1 conversion rate and effectively ended the postwar black market economy overnight.
American Bank Note Company took on the contract because no German printing facility was deemed secure or politically acceptable to the Allies at that moment. The notes were shipped to Germany in secrecy ahead of the June 20 announcement.