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 Replies: 9 / Views: 2,853 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
709 Posts |
Picked up these two notes today for £3 the pair. Nothing special here, but the size difference intrigues me. 1st: 212mm x 125mm approx very clear watermark on left margin   2nd: 180mm x 111mm approx no obvious watermark   In the online catalogues the small note is listed straight after the large one. Why was it issued? Is it because it was the beginnings of hyperinflation? Edited by Anaximander
09/20/2016 12:10 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
709 Posts |
What is going on here? I have edited this post a number of times to try and get the 2nd image the right way up. I have even turned upside down the initial image and loaded that, to try and fox this website, but it still puts it upside down. Anyone any ideas?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
You might just need to save your rotated photo before uploading the image, maybe.
Those German inflation notes got smaller and smaller as the cost of the paper, and then the ink, became greater than the value of the banknote being printed. Also, notice the design change on the back of the note, now it's one color of ink, not two. A pfennig saved is a pfennig earned.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12813 Posts |
Even though it's much simpler than the first, I really like the reverse of that 2nd note of yours, Anaximander.
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Pillar of the Community
Poland
3201 Posts |
The first type was huge!
Just a note, the second does appear to have a watermark, over the whole note, from the scan it seems it may be a pattern made up of those four-sided things... what do you even call them?
Search for "Wasserzeichen Kreuzbluete" in Google images.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
Sounds like the Lozenges Watermark, a grid of slightly flattened rectangles, has the appearance of a cough drop.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
FYI another interesting thing about these notes is they are nicknamed "Vampire Notes". If the notes are turned on their side it looks like a witch or vampire sucking on the neck of the worker, symbolizing the Allies sucking the blood out of Germany with their tough sanctions after World War I
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
709 Posts |
Thank you all for your information.
Worldnumis: Your comment is interesting. However, I have tried turning the note and cannot picture the vampire. Could you amend one of the images to show it?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
731 Posts |
Below is a sideway of the portrait. The printing was not intentional to relate the later story. I don't know how the story got started. It is like the devils face in the Queen's hair on earlier printing of Canadian notes.  |
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Valued Member
United States
484 Posts |
I read a long time ago, and in some book or forum, that the size was at least partly reduced to make it cheaper to print, as the post war inflation was a problem then. As for the design change on the back, I assume the simpler design with less ink might have been a concern as well. More info on the "Vampire" aspect of the note here: http://www.banknoteden.com/Germany.html |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 2,853 |
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Posted 09/20/2016 12:42 pm
