1921 - German City of Kneitlingen 75 Pfennig

🏛️ General Information

• Issuer: City of Braunschweig (Brunswick), Lower Saxony, Germany

• Denomination: 50 Pfennig

• Date of Issue: Circa 1921

• Type: Stadtgemeinde (municipal) Notgeld

• Artist/Designer: Günther Clausen, whose signature you can see in the top left corner

Braunschweig issued a series of colorful and sometimes macabre Notgeld notes during the post–World War I inflation period. These notes were as much art pieces as they were emergency currency, printed in small denominations when metal coins were scarce.

🎨 Design Analysis

Front Design (as shown in your image):

• The scene shows Death (the Grim Reaper) riding in a cart drawn by a horse, carrying what appears to be a corpse or shrouded figure.

• The skeletal figure is draped in red, holding the reins as the cart moves through a rural landscape.

• A signpost in the background reads “Braunschweig,” marking the destination.

This morbid imagery was characteristic of many postwar Notgeld issues — satirical or philosophical reflections on hardship, mortality, and the fleeting value of money.

• Artist: The upper-left corner bears the name “Günther Clausen,” one of the prominent illustrators of German Notgeld. His style is instantly recognizable for its woodcut-like outlines and expressive contrasts.

Inscription:

At the bottom, in Gothic script, you can read:

"Wie Bilderspiegel alles Kaufes Sand kauft und sich ins eigene Land fährt."

This loosely translates to:

“Like a reflection in a picture — all buying is but sand, and in the end, one rides into one’s own land.”

It’s a poetic, somewhat fatalistic proverb — essentially saying that material possessions are temporary (“sand”), and everyone ultimately ends up in the same place (the grave).

This type of moral or ironic text was common in Braunschweig’s Notgeld, which often featured allegorical or cautionary imagery about greed, fate, and the human condition.

⚙️ Reverse (not shown but known from the series):

Typically, Braunschweig’s 50 Pfennig notes featured:

• A printed municipal seal or serial number.

• Text explaining validity within the city.

• Sometimes additional artwork or a continuation of the theme.

🕰️ Historical Context

Between 1919 and 1923, hyperinflation in Germany created massive shortages of official Reichsbank coins.
Cities like Braunschweig produced beautifully designed Notgeld in denominations from 10 Pfennig to several Marks.

The city’s 1921 “Clausen Series” is famous for its:

• Expressionist style

• Philosophical inscriptions

• Dark humor and moral messages

These notes were quickly recognized as collectible, with entire sets sold to tourists and collectors for hard currency.