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50 Pfennig Handelskammer
| Issuer | Handelskammer zu Saarbrücken |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in dark blue on a pale guilloche underprint carrying repeated '50' numerals, the reverse presents a panoramic industrial vignette divided into two registers. At left, a bearded miner or industrial worker in working dress is shown at half-length, resting on a tool, with coal-mine headframes and factory buildings in the background; at right, a harbour scene with cranes, industrial sheds, and a river steamer evokes the Saarland's heavy industry and river commerce. Centred between the two scenes, a large circular caduceus medallion inscribed 'HANDELSKAMMER ZU SAARBRÜCKEN' unifies the composition, with denomination numerals '50' in circular cartouches at the upper corners. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Handelskammer zu Saarbrücken — the Saar region's chamber of commerce — began issuing Notgeld in 1916 as the wartime coin shortage stripped small denominations out of everyday circulation. Chambers of commerce across Germany were among the earliest non-municipal bodies authorized to fill this gap, and the Saarbrücken chamber was notably active given the region's industrial density and the volume of small transactions in its mining and manufacturing economy.
The Gra# S3.6 through S3.10 range indicates a run of varieties, likely differentiated by serial prefix or minor typographic revision — a pattern common among multi-batch Handelskammer issues of this period. The watermarked paper is worth noting: by late 1916, many issuers had abandoned such refinements entirely.