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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Magistrat der Stadt Idstein |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Salmon-toned paper note with a green letterpress-printed guilloche border composed of interlocking geometric and foliate ornaments enclosing a central cartouche. Within the cartouche, the denomination numeral '50' is set in large bold blackletter type at the top, followed by the redemption pledge and issuing authority in Fraktur script. A manuscript signature appears below the issuer's name at the foot of the cartouche. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Wellenbündel (wave-bundle) type watermark visible in the paper |
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| Comments |
Idstein's 1917 Notgeld issue belongs to the first wave of municipal emergency currency that flooded Germany after the Reichsbank's metal coinage effectively disappeared from circulation. Small change vanished almost entirely by mid-1917 as hoarding and war requisitions stripped copper and nickel from everyday commerce. Towns and cities were left to print their own.
The watermark is notable for this class of issue — many municipal Notgeld of this period were printed on whatever paper stock the local printer had available, with no security features whatsoever. Its presence here suggests either pre-existing municipal printing contracts or a deliberate effort to discourage counterfeiting at the local level.