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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | City of Erfurt (Notgeld) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A bold expressionist vignette by artist Alfred Hanf occupies the central field, presenting a dramatic close-up view of Erfurt Cathedral (Dom) and the Severikirche with their soaring Gothic towers and red-tiled roofs rendered in vivid orange, red, and green. Flanking side panels in alternating orange and green carry the denomination '50 Pfennig' in large Gothic numerals at upper left and upper right, with identifying text panels below each. Circular wheel-spoke ornaments in red and white appear in the lower corners of the side panels, and the artist's signature 'Alfred Hanf' is printed in small type at the lower center margin. |
| Reverse lettering | 50 Pfennig Erfurter Notgeld. Dom, Severi- und Predigerkirche. 50 Pfennig Alfred Hanf. |
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| Comments |
Erfurt was unusually prolific in its Notgeld output, and this 50 Pfennig piece is one of several denominations in the 1921 series designed by Alfred Hanf, a local artist whose commissions for the city gave the run a degree of stylistic coherence rare among municipal emergency issues. Printing by Otto Richters & Co. kept the entire production within Erfurt itself — artwork, printing, and issuing authority all originating from the same city.
By 1921, German Notgeld had largely shifted from genuine necessity to collector bait. Municipalities knew philatelists were buying and holding rather than spending, and print runs were sized accordingly.