1921 German City of Paderborn 50 Pfennig

1921 German City of Paderborn 50 Pfennig
CA$7.50

 

  • Denomination: 50 Pfennig

  • Issuer: Stadt Paderborn (municipal treasury)

  • Date: 10 November 1921

  • Region: Westphalia, Germany

  • Type: Pictorial Serienschein Notgeld

  • Printer: Gebr. Parcus, München (noted at the bottom) 

    What the imagery means

    This is one of the more powerful and symbolic Notgeld designs of the period.

    Central scene (silhouette figures)

    • A dominant central figure (often interpreted as authority, the state, or inflation itself)

    • Workers on either side:

      • One hammering or forging

      • Another straining or kneeling

    • The imagery reflects labor, control, and economic pressure, common themes during the inflation years

    Satirical & moral message

    At the bottom is a Low German (Plattdeutsch) verse, roughly conveying:

    Gold once shone brightly in Christian times,
    Now gold is scarce beyond belief.
    Paper money comes and goes in heaps…

    This text criticizes the collapse of sound money and the replacement of gold with rapidly devaluing paper currency.