50 Pfennig

Mainz issued its own emergency small-denomination notes — Notgeld — because the postwar coin shortage left municipal commerce effectively paralyzed. By 1921 the practice was well established across German cities, but Mainz's series is notable for being produced by two local printers working in tandem, Kessler and Ph. von Zabern, the latter better known as a scholarly publishing house with a sideline in quality printing.

The signature of Oberbürgermeister Kulb anchors the note's legal authority to the city administration rather than any banking institution — a reminder that this is municipal scrip, not a banking instrument.