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50 Pfennig Vereinigte Lichtspiele
| Issuer | Vereinigte Lichtspiele Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringen |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in red, black, blue, and green on a white ground, with a bold geometric hatched border in red and blue running the full perimeter. A central vignette against a deep purple underprint illustrates a film projector operator at left casting a green beam of light onto a circular screen bearing the numeral '50' in red, while a jester or theatrical figure in period costume gestures dramatically at right. Two circular medallions at lower left and right each carry the denomination '50 PF' in red on a dark ground. Scrolling ribbon banners across the upper register carry the issuer's name in Gothic blackletter script, with the word 'Gutschein' inscribed on a separate cartouche at top centre. Below the central vignette, a redemption clause in Gothic script bears two manuscript signatures. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in green, blue, red, and black on a plain white ground without a decorative border. A large central vignette in the style of an old woodcut print shows a bearded workman with a spade standing beside a pile of stones bearing a heraldic shield, with a sailing vessel in a radiant sunburst medallion at upper centre. Two long scrolling ribbon banners arc across the composition in Gothic blackletter, bearing a humorous verse text in several segments. A serial number is printed in black at upper right. |
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| Comments |
Vereinigte Lichtspiele — "United Cinema" — was a regional cinema operator in the Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringen area that issued this notgeld during the post-WWI emergency currency period. The issuance of small-denomination scrip by a commercial entertainment venue rather than a municipality or savings bank is unusual; it points to the acute small-change shortage that had become severe enough by the early 1920s that even private businesses were printing their own money to make transactions possible.
The watermark is worth noting — most Varel-printed notgeld skipped security features entirely. Someone paid for it here.