Catalog
50 Pfennig - Dortmund silver
| Issuer | City of Dortmund |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Shape | Octagonal (8-sided) |
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| Obverse description | The Dortmund civic eagle coat of arms occupies the central field, depicted as a spread-winged heraldic eagle facing right. The eagle is enclosed within a circular border, around which the legend STADT DORTMUND arcs along the lower portion and the date 1917 appears across the upper field. The entire design is contained within the octagonal flan, with the inscription rendered in bold relief in a decorative Art Nouveau-influenced style characteristic of World War I German notgeld coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The large bold numeral '50' dominates the central field, rendered in a stylised Art Nouveau typeface with flowing curves. The denomination abbreviation PFG appears in the lower segment of the octagonal border. The legend KRIEGSGELD (war money) arcs around the upper portion of the coin within the octagonal frame, separating the denomination from the border. The design is bold and graphic, with minimal ornamentation beyond the strong typographic elements. |
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| Additional information |
Dortmund's 1917 emergency coinage was authorized as the imperial German monetary system buckled under wartime metal requisitions. Silver had largely disappeared from circulation by 1916, hoarded or melted, and municipalities across the Ruhr were left to fill the gap themselves. Dortmund's issue in .900 fine silver was unusual — most Notgeld of this period was struck in base metals or printed on paper, and the choice of silver here likely reflects the city's access to industrial resources rather than any directive from Berlin.