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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Magistrat der Stadt Gräfenhainichen |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Purple and ochre notgeld note with a panoramic vignette of the old town of Gräfenhainichen as it appeared before its destruction by Swedish forces on 11 April 1637, captioned below the vignette. The central lower portion bears the circular city seal dated 1666 with the legend STAD GRAEFENHDE, flanked to the left by the denomination PF 50 PF within an ochre guilloche panel and the motto WAHRE TREUE ALLE ZEIT!, and to the right by the magistrate's manuscript signature over a serial number panel. The issuer name GRAEFENHAINICHEN and NOTGELD DER STADT are set in bold letterpress at top and bottom. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Brown and ochre note centred on an intaglio-style portrait bust of Paul Gerhardt set within a circular vignette, identified by the inscription below. Surrounding the portrait, decorative ribbon scrolls carry verses from the hymn 'Befiehl du deine Wege', arranged in a symmetrical pattern against a patterned geometric underprint. The lower legend records the date and birthplace of the celebrated Lutheran hymn-writer. |
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| Comments |
Gräfenhainichen is a small town in Saxony-Anhalt, and this 50 Pfennig note is a product of the Notgeld wave that swept German municipalities during the severe coin shortages of the World War I period and its immediate aftermath. Municipal authorities — not banks — became de facto issuers out of necessity, with town councils (Magistrate) authorizing small-denomination emergency scrip to keep local commerce moving when metal coinage had been pulled from circulation.
H. Schiebel of Bitterfeld was a regional printer serving several nearby towns during this period, which occasionally makes attribution tricky when notes lack clear issuer text.