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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Nordenham (City of Nordenham) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is framed by a broad amber-yellow border carrying the patriotic motto in Gothic Fraktur script running along all four sides. Within the central white vignette panel, the municipal coat of arms of Nordenham — an eagle over a quartered shield with an anchor — appears to the upper left. The denomination '50 Pf' is printed in large red numerals to the right, with the issuing authority 'Notgeldschein der Stadt Nordenham' in black Gothic lettering above; validity and date inscriptions 'Dieser Schein verliert am 31. Dezember 1922 seine Gültigkeit' and 'Nordenham, 15. Mai 1921' appear below the arms, alongside the manuscript signature of the Bürgermeister. |
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| Obverse lettering | Am deutschen Wesen wird die Welt genesen Notgeldschein der Stadt Nordenham 50 Pf Dieser Schein verliert am 31. Dezember 1922 seine Gültigkeit. Nordenham, 15. Mai 1921 Der Bürgermeister |
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| Comments |
Nordenham is a port town on the western bank of the Weser estuary, directly opposite Bremerhaven, and its municipal notgeld issues reflect the acute small-change shortage that gripped German towns between 1919 and 1922 as the Reichsbank struggled to keep fractional coinage in circulation. Cities, towns, even individual businesses printed their own emergency pfennig notes during this period — an officially tolerated workaround that generated thousands of distinct types across Germany.
The 1921 date places this issue in the later "collector series" wave, when many municipalities had begun designing notgeld expressly for the philatelic trade rather than genuine transactional need. Whether Nordenham's 50 Pfennig saw real counter use or went straight into albums is a reasonable question for any example in clean condition.