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50 Pfennig Gewerbebank Köln-Mülheim
| Issuer | Gewerbebank e.GmbH, Köln-Mülheim |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The note is divided into three vertical panels with a dark ruled border enclosing the whole. The left vignette depicts a blacksmith at his anvil, hammer raised, rendered in a woodcut-style illustration; the right vignette shows the god Mercury in winged helmet standing beside bales of goods, evoking trade and commerce. The central text panel carries the denomination '50' in large Gothic numerals above 'Pfennig' and the full issuing text in Fraktur script, with two facsimile signatures below for the Vorstand (Director) and Aufsichtsrat-Vorsitzender (Supervisory Board Chairman), and a six-pointed star ornament at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is divided into two main zones across its width. On the left, a tall arched vignette within an ornamental Art Nouveau border presents a full-length figure of an industrial worker in overalls and a tall hat, pipe in hand. To the right, a large panoramic view of the Köln-Mülheim riverfront occupies the upper portion, with factory chimneys belching smoke above a church spire and rows of industrial buildings reflected along the Rhine, with vessels moored at the quay. Below, the denomination '50 Pf.' appears in the lower left within a decorative cartouche, while a multi-line verse in Fraktur script by Gildenbach fills the lower right panel, celebrating the industrial city. |
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| Comments |
Köln-Mülheim was an independent municipality on the right bank of the Rhine until its incorporation into Cologne in 1914, and the Gewerbebank — a cooperative credit institution serving local tradespeople — retained its hyphenated identity well after that merger. This note is Notgeld, issued during the acute coin shortage of the early Weimar inflation period, when municipal bodies, cooperatives, and private firms across Germany printed their own fractional currency to keep commerce moving.
Heiss & Co. operated out of Cologne-Lindenthal and handled a significant volume of regional Notgeld commissions during 1921–1922. The DeNG reference suffix indicating three known varieties suggests minor differences in serial range or overprint detail within the same print run.