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| Issuer | Landkreis Bielefeld (District of Bielefeld, Prussian Province of Westphalia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Pink and dark red note with a fine guilloche underprint across the field. Large Gothic blackletter inscription occupies the upper half, with the bold numeral '50' and denomination 'Pfennig=Gold' at centre. Geometric cross ornaments flank the central vignette area left and right, with the dollar equivalent '5/42 Dollar' at lower corners. A red serial number appears at foot centre. |
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| Obverse lettering | Wertbeständiges Notgeld für den Landkreis Bielefeld 50 Pfennig=Gold Garantiert von der Provinz Westfalen 5/42 Dollar 5/42 Dollar |
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| Comments |
This note belongs to the extraordinary proliferation of German emergency currency — Notgeld — that peaked in 1923 as hyperinflation rendered Reichsbank denominations obsolete almost the moment they were issued. The "Gold" designation is significant: by mid-1923, issuers across Germany were increasingly denominating Notgeld in gold-pfennig equivalents to give the paper some theoretical anchor to stable value, since nominal figures in paper marks were changing by the hour.
G. Thomas was a local Bielefeld printer, not a specialist currency house, which is typical for district-level Notgeld from this period. Landkreis Bielefeld issued alongside, but separately from, the city of Bielefeld itself — a distinction collectors occasionally overlook when building regional sets.