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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Freyburg an der Unstrut (City of Freyburg an der Unstrut) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pfennigs (50 Pfennige) (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in dark brown and ochre on cream paper, the obverse carries a bold silhouette woodcut vignette of Neuenburg Castle perched on a hillside above the Unstrut valley, executed in an Expressionist style after a design by Walter Hege. Flanking vertical text panels in Gothic blackletter script bear the denomination and validity conditions, with two facsimile signatures at the lower margin and the serial number printed in green ink across the centre of the vignette. The bottom margin carries the printer's imprint and the engraver's credit in small letterpress type. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark brown on cream paper and presents a dramatic Expressionist silhouette woodcut vignette after Walter Hege, showing three dynamic human figures in vigorous motion — evoking a folk-legend scene — set against a plain ground with a small townscape visible at lower left. Vertical Gothic blackletter text panels on both lateral borders continue a narrative verse relating the local legend of the Edelbacker, while a decorative border of geometric ornament frames the composition at top and bottom. The lower margin carries the caption legend in blackletter script. |
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| Comments |
Freyburg's 1921 Notgeld series is among the more photographically distinctive of the Weimar-era municipal issues — Walter Hege, who designed and engraved the set, went on to become one of Germany's most celebrated architectural photographers, particularly known for his work documenting Naumburg Cathedral in the 1920s and 30s. His involvement in small-denomination emergency currency was, in other words, a very early career footnote.
Otto Richters & Co. of Erfurt handled a substantial volume of Thuringian Notgeld during this period, and the print quality on this series reflects that competence. The 50 Pfennig denomination falls within the standard Kleingeldersatz issues produced as coin shortages persisted well into 1921.