Anyone here collect Notgeld notes?

I have recently been intrieged with these small cheap notes / vouchers and the care and stories behind the artwork. I wondered if there was anyone here that had also caught this bug? Hopefully this is considered close enough to coinage/cash to stay relevant?

Below is a wonderful example that provides much more than the small piece of paper art it is.

I would be very interested in trading Notgeld stories if anyone is interested.

 

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I would not go so far as to say I consciously collect them in any organized sort of way but I do have quite a few of them from Germany and Austria then I have gathered over the years.

 

I have some, including an example of the one you pictured. I'd be interested in hearing about it. I don't know a whole lot about them, but I'd say post away!



Here's another I'd like a good translation/explanation on.

 

I believe @lettow might be a good source for information.

 

I have a number of them but it is more of an accumulation rather than a collection. I have them in 3 pocket binder pages. The plan is to ID and translate the story on each note and include this info with each binder page. Been on my “to do” list for almost 15 years. There is a really good series of books called Duetsches Notgeld. In German but don’t let the language scare you. I am terrible at languages but can muscle my way through.

 

Somewhere, years ago I picked up a pile of these colorful notes but never had that much interest in them. I used to give them out to my European History students as prizes for academic excellence.

 

At one time I had the series of books about Notgeld. They are basically emergency notes issued by a town in period after WW1 when metals for coins was in short supply. I do not intend to be racist here but most where blaming the Jewish people for their troubles. That is why quite a few are only in black and white.

 

There are thousands and thousands of diff types of paper notgeld. Many of the colorful notes were sold in sets as collector’s items (think of beanie babies) and never intended for circulation. While a small percentage were racist and anti-Semitic, many were showed folklore or history of the town/region, or were the equivalent of tourist brochures.

 

have about 4000 notes which is just a small amount of the total that were printed, I also havemother types of notgeld like the metal coins, encased stamps, notes printed on silk, velour,satin and leather. I have never had a set of the books. maybe its time...

 

I have someone, but I'm not really a collector of them.

Town of Steinfeld, Germany, 1 Mark

Arbeit ist des bürgers zierde (Work is the citizen's ornament)





and 75 pfennig

Segen ist der mühe preis (Blessing is the price of difficulties)





petronius


MESSAGE No. 400

 

I have hundreds and focused on notes that showcased German history or folklore, religious themes, plebiscites, contemporary political or social commentary, etc.

This one goes with my screen name.

 

I am so pleased to have such a positive response here. I find the translations either really easy or really oblique - sometime the story is key and understanding the story helps. I understand that they can be written in 'low' German and the abbreviations can really trip me up.

The key to the note I initially posted was that the bear (German bear?) is yoked to a cart. The text talks of the 14 points and the joy when I realised that this referred to the 14 point plan proposed by Woodrow Wilson to end the WW1 hostilities! I think this was the turning point for me; understanding that the story is hidden in plain sight. There are 4 others in this series.

 

I wonder if you know the relevance of the first note with the donkey? A lovely story!

 

It is economic commentary. The legend beneath it is a poem that says something like:

We don't have a ducat crapping donkey, but there are enough donkeys in the world crapping out paper money.

 

I have sent you what I think is the translation by PM. It may be one of those notes that played to the issues and prejudices at the time.

 

Agreed, I thought a great story about those who were prepared to take Notgeld. It shows distain and humour for 'idiots' who took these notes - often issued after the date that they needed to be redeemed by and so valueless. Goodness only knows what it says about me and presumably some of you, who are still prepared to buy them at a very significant premium!

 

The Colonies I haven't really looked at yet, but have managed to pick ups a few. One of the problems I find is, as they are so cheap, trying not to buy too many without understanding and cataloguing what I have. I am so far behind already.....!

 

I find the political and economic commentaries fascinating.

 

Good luck with that. I had the same plan when I started buying them in the early 00s. Now I have too many and they still need catalogued

 

This is a good German-English Numismatic dictionary

http://www.muenzen-hardelt.de/dic/dict_eng.html

It won't help translate the notes, but it is a big help translating German numismatic references. Lots of stuff in here that isn't in a regular German/English dictionary