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50 Pfennig Tabakmesshaus Kosmos
| Issuer | Messhaus Kosmos, Leipzig |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pfennigs (50 Pfennige) (0.50) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black and orange letterpress note with a central vignette of the Tabakmesshaus Kosmos building in Leipzig, framed by a black underprint. Flanking the vignette are two orange tobacco-leaf cartouches bearing the monogram 'TM' in white. The denomination '50 PFENNIG' appears in large orange numerals at lower left and right, with the issuer name in bold capitals across the centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Multicolour reverse in green, red, black and white, with a bold expressionist vignette of an elderly man smoking a long-stemmed pipe, rendered in a vigorous woodcut style against a teal ground. The central portrait is enclosed within a decorative black border interlaced with ornamental motifs of tobacco pipes, crossed implements and green leaf sprigs at the corners. |
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| Comments |
Messhaus Kosmos was one of Leipzig's specialist trade buildings catering to the tobacco and colonial goods sector. This 50 Pfennig Notgeld was issued during the acute small-change shortage that plagued Germany through 1920–1921, when coin metal remained scarce and the Reichsbank could not keep pace with demand at the lower denominations. Thousands of German municipalities, companies, and trade associations printed their own emergency issues during this window — most were authorized locally and recalled within months.
Adolf Forker was a Leipzig printer active in the Notgeld trade, handling multiple commercial and municipal issues in Saxony during this period. The A. Otto signature likely indicates a managing director or authorized signatory of the Messhaus rather than a Forker employee.