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5000 Mark Stadtsparkasse
| Issuer | Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5000 Mark |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed on natural jute fabric, the obverse carries a bold expressionist vignette in dark grey and red, dominated by a central allegorical battle scene with armored figures and fallen warriors evoking Germany's collapse in 1918. The heading DEUTSCHLANDS ZUSAMMENBRUCH 1918 runs across the top, flanked by vertical columns of statistical text recording wartime economic data; the denomination 5000 in large red numerals appears centrally beneath the issuer's script lettering. At the foot, the issuing authority, place, and date of 15 February 1923 are set in letterpress within a plain ruled border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents the plain woven jute substrate without any printed design, allowing the natural coarse textile weave to serve as the sole visual element. Faint ghost impressions of the obverse printing are visible through the fabric, a characteristic consequence of the letterpress process on this porous material. No inscriptions, vignettes, or security devices are present on this side. |
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| Comments |
Bielefeld's jute notes are among the most discussed pieces of German notgeld — not because of their artistry, but because they actually worked. The Stadtsparkasse issued these cloth notes in 1923 as a practical response to the hyperinflationary paper shortage: jute was locally abundant through the city's linen industry, and the material was far harder to counterfeit than the pulp being churned out by overloaded government presses.
Gundlach printed on raw woven fabric rather than processed textile, which means individual examples vary noticeably in weave texture and ink absorption. The 5000 Mark denomination dates this issue to the accelerating phase of the inflation, before the November 1923 Rentenmark stabilization made the entire series obsolete within weeks of printing.