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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Arys (City of Arys) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pfennigs (50 Pfennige) (0.50) |
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| Obverse description | Bicolour Notgeld note printed in green and dark blue, with the denomination numeral '50' in each corner set against dark foliate side panels. At centre, the civic coat of arms of Arys — a Prussian eagle with spread wings over a shield dated 1726 — is flanked by a two-part verse in Gothic blackletter script evoking Masurian and German identity. The issuer title 'Stadt Arys O/Pr.' runs in bold blackletter along the upper border, while the lower panel carries an italic commemorative legend referencing the plebiscite of 11 July 1920. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Stadt Arys O/Pr. In allen Gauen Masuren's, zur Freude die Deutschen erfuhren's, Daß Arys Land- auch Stadt nicht eine polnische Stimme hat! Herausgegeben zur Erinnerung an den 11. Juli 1920, den Tag des Bekenntnisses zum Deutschtum 17 26 |
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| Comments |
Arys was a small Prussian garrison town in Masuria — today Orzysz in northeastern Poland — and its 1920 Notgeld issue appeared during the plebiscite period, when the whole region was under Allied supervision ahead of the July 1920 vote on whether to join Poland or remain with Germany. Municipal Notgeld was technically illegal under plebiscite regulations but tolerated in practice, as the Reichsbank simply could not supply enough small-denomination currency to keep local commerce moving.
Flemming & Wiskott in Glogau were among the more prolific Notgeld printers of the period, handling commissions from dozens of Silesian and East Prussian municipalities simultaneously. The plebiscite returned an overwhelming pro-German result; Arys stayed German until 1945.