Catalog
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| Issuer | City of Gera (Thuringia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 68 × 44 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Watermarked paper visible when held to light; a blind embossed municipal seal stamp also appears on the obverse at lower right. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Gera's 1920 Notgeld issues belong to the first wave of municipal emergency currency that flooded Germany following the postwar coin shortage — the Reichsbank simply could not produce enough small change to meet everyday demand. Hundreds of towns printed their own, and quality varied wildly. Gera's series sits toward the better-produced end of the spectrum, with a watermarked paper stock that most smaller municipalities skipped entirely.
The watermark is the one feature that distinguishes this from the mass of purely decorative Notgeld printed for the collector trade rather than genuine use.