25 Piece "Notgeld" Banknote Collection, circa 1920s

This collection includes 25 different "emergency issue" banknotes issued in Germany in the early 1920s. These notes are often referred to as "notgeld", and are one of the most interesting and collectible banknote series of the era, available at a modest cost. Several hundred different types of notes were issued at this time, and each 25 piece collection is unique. Collectors may wish to purchase more than one of this item to build a larger collection. Most of the notes are in uncirculated condition.  

Following the First World War, the economy of Germany suffered greatly. One of the biggest problems was hyper-inflation. By 1922, the situation was so bad that factory workers were paid twice daily, with spouses coming at noon to pick up the morning's wages and rushing out to spend them before the prices went up.  Stories are told of people leaving wheelbarrows filled with banknotes outside a store while shopping, only to come back and find that someone dumped out the banknotes to steal the more valuable empty wheelbarrow.

In this environment where most paper money quickly lost its purchasing power, individual towns and cities created their own currency in many different sizes and denominations. This currency became known as "notgeld".  In some towns, the notes freely circulated as real money, while other towns produced notes more to showcase their national or local pride and history. Some of the notes were valued in millions or even billions of marks, while others were based on commodities rather than in volatile marks. Although the economy of Germany was in disarray, the artistic flair of the 1920s was abundantly evident throughout the country. Many of these notes are extremely artistic, and survive today as interesting and beautiful remnants of an era of an interesting time in the history of Germany and the world.  

Includes:
• 25 Piece "Notgeld" Banknote Collection, circa 1920s