WWII German Paper Money Brought Back By Veteran

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the assessment that there is not much monetary value there. These are common notes and in low grade. They do have historical significance but that is about it.

Not true. I would pay for these. I wouldn't pay a lot, but I would pay. My collection is full of bills just like these. I prefer circulated condition. Two reasons:

1. Lower grade means lower cost. I can amass a much larger collection for my modest budget.

2. Circulated notes were used. They were in the pockets of the soldiers and citizens of the era. I much prefer that to a perfect note that sat in a book somewhere for the last 70 years. The history the note or coin represents is the entire reason I collect. I realize I am in a fringe minority with this view, but hey, "different strokes for different folks".

The Allied Occupation notes will show which "Zone" they were from. For example - the American Zone: serial number begins with a "1"; the British Zone serial number begins with an "0"; the Russian Zone serial number begins with "-" and the French Zone serial number begins "00".
From the photo. it is impossible to tell from which zone these notes originated.

This was a theory that was advanced by German collectors in the 1960s, most notably Albert Pick. It was proven to be incorrect by research done by Neil Shafer and published in the late 1970s.

There is no way to tell which of the Western zones a note was issued in. The hyphen is only partially a characteristic of Russian printed notes. US printed replacements also have a hyphen in the serial number but will have a small letter "f" in the scrollwork on the note. The location of the "f" is different for each denomination. The "f" stands for Forbes Lithograph, the printer.

Here is the "f" on a one mark note.