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50 Mark Reichskassenschein
| Issuer | Reichsschuldenverwaltung (Reich Debt Administration) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899 |
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| Currency | Mark (1873-1923) |
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| Obverse description | A seated allegorical figure of Germania occupies the left portion of the note, rendered in fine intaglio engraving, holding a staff and accompanied by a large heraldic shield with a plough and agricultural implements at her feet. To her right, an oak tree bearing imperial arms rises into the upper field, its branches framing the large denomination numeral '50' in Gothic script. Three manuscript signatures of Reichsschuldenverwaltung officials appear in the lower right, beneath the date and place of issue. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a large, intricately engraved Imperial German eagle with spread wings, bearing the quartered Hohenzollern shield on its breast and surrounded by an oak-leaf wreath, occupying the right half of the note. To the left, the denomination 'Fünfzig Mark' is rendered in large Gothic blackletter script, with a red ornamental seal bearing a small imperial eagle and the numeral '50' beneath. A serial number in red appears at upper right and lower center. |
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| Comments |
The Reichskassenschein — literally "Reich cash note" — was a state treasury instrument issued directly by the Reichsschuldenverwaltung rather than through the Reichsbank, a structural distinction that mattered enormously to contemporaries worried about inflationary bank-note expansion. These notes circulated alongside Reichsbank issues but carried different legal underpinnings, backed by the imperial treasury rather than by the bank's commercial discount operations.
The 1899 series predates the Wilhelmine-era monetary anxieties that would later reshape German currency policy after 1907. Surviving examples in any condition are outnumbered by the lower denominations — the 50 Mark face value limited everyday use, and many were held rather than spent.