50 Pfennig

Lübbecke is a small Westphalian town, and this 1920 Notgeld issue belongs to the enormous wave of municipal emergency currency that flooded Germany as coins disappeared from circulation — hoarded, melted, or simply never minted in sufficient quantities to meet postwar demand. Local authorities were legally permitted to fill the gap, which they did with varying degrees of seriousness. The dual-signature arrangement — Ritz countersigning alongside Blase — reflects the administrative double-authorization typical of the Stadtrat issues from this district.

The DeNG 819.1a series has minor variant distinctions documented across the 5/6 listing, generally relating to serial number placement or ink shade rather than substantive redesign.