50 Pfennig Herzogliche Finanzdirektion

Anhalt's ducal finance directorate issued this note under the emergency currency framework that proliferated across German states after the Reichsbank's coin supplies collapsed in 1916–17. Unlike municipal Notgeld, which was typically authorized by city councils or local chambers of commerce, notes issued directly by a Herzogliche Finanzdirektion carried the weight of the ducal treasury — a meaningful distinction in a small German principality that retained its ruling house through the war.

Dessau was the ducal capital of Anhalt, and local printing kept distribution tightly controlled. The dual reference suffix A17.1-2 indicates two recognized varieties within the type, likely differing in serial numbering or minor typographic details.