Catalog
50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Stadt Kranichfeld (City of Kranichfeld) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed Kriegsgeld (war emergency note) on paper with a yellow and red guilloche underprint and a decorative border of repeating red ornamental scrollwork. The denomination '50 Pfennig' is set in large Gothic blackletter type at centre, above the validity clause 'Gültig bis 6 Monate nach Friedensschluss'. To the upper right, the municipal coat of arms of Kranichfeld — a heraldic shield bearing two cranes and the founding date 1650 — is printed in black. The issuing authority 'STADT KRANICHFELD' and 'DAS BÜRGERMEISTERAMT' appear in bold capitals at lower centre, accompanied by a manuscript signature of the mayor. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, showing only the blind embossed impression of the obverse text and design elements visible through the thin paper stock, with no applied ink or additional design. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Kranichfeld is a small town in Thuringia, and like hundreds of German municipalities during the Kleingeldnot of 1917–1921, it issued its own emergency fractional currency when the central supply of coins collapsed under wartime metal shortages. These Notgeld issues were a local administrative decision, not a banking one — the Bürgermeister's office effectively became the issuing authority by necessity.
Thuringian municipal Notgeld of this period is common in bulk but surprisingly variable in survival quality, as much of it circulated hard in small-town retail before redemption schemes pulled it back.