Anyone out there got any original East German DDR banknotes? I heard most of them were destroyed in 2001...:secret: With the Monetary, Economic and Social Union of Germany on 1 July 1990 (in preparation for German reunification on 3 October 1990) the Deutsche Mark became the currency of East Germany. Around 4500 tonnes of now-obsolete East German coins & banknotes were destroyed down at the Rackwitz metal works in 1990. Most of the paper money was placed into storage in 1990/91, but destroyed in 2002 following a theft. Many examples of notes and coins, however, remain in private hands. Almost all the paper money of the GDR (about 100 billion Mark, or 620 million banknotes with a volume of 4,500 m3 (160,000 cu ft, about 300 boxcars)), including all the currency collected at the time of the monetary union and the never-used 200 and 500 Mark banknotes, was placed into storage in 1990 and 1991 in two 300 m (1000 ft) long sandstone caverns in the Thekenberge near Halberstadt. In total, 3,000 tons of banknotes, passbooks, and checks were stored there, having been brought by military convoy from the Staatsbank der DDR in Berlin. The currency became the property of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in 1994 through its merger with the Staatsbank Berlin (the post-reunification name for the Staatsbank der DDR). The 13 km (8 mile) tunnel system had been built by prisoners of war at the end of World War II, and used by the National People's Army under the code name "Malachit", or camp complex KL-12 NVA-Nr.16/630. It was the bunker with the largest floor space, and was used for the safeguarding of devices and munitions that would be needed for war. The money was protected from theft by two metre thick concrete walls and heavy steel doors. For cost reasons, the money was left to rot under the natural humidity, but it was further covered with gravel. In July 2001, it was discovered that two Halberstadt residents had gained entry to the tunnel system through an unsecured opening and made off with numerous banknotes. The two, aged 24 and 26 were convicted of the crime and sentenced to four months in prison and three years of probation. Furthermore, they had to pay 120 € (about US$164) to a non-profit organisation. The appearance among collectors of uncirculated 200 and 500 Mark notes, and of the never-issued military currency, is attributed to this theft. Because of the theft and the slowness of the rotting, the KfW then decided to burn the old currency. Between April and June 2002, 298 containers of the currency remains were burned in an incinerator (6 containers per day) along with household refuse. The last container was burned on 25 June 2002.
Very interesting bit of history! Thanks for posting it, I imagine a cave full of money was hard to resist for those young kids! Dave
A Cave full of money would be hard to resist by anyone, even if it's obsolete.. I once bought a 2,000 lot of obsolete stamps and coins from a German student back in 1960 for £10.00... They were of third reich nazi origin and I just put them away not thinking too much about them at the time... About 2 years ago I saw them selling for good prices on ebay.. I have sold 100's and my total sales in the past 2 years has come to a total of £4,000 and I still have lots left to sell...
I have a bunch of DDR (any country that has "democratic" in its name usually isn't) coins that I got when I was there, and got a bunch of commemoratives in various place. the DDR issued a whole bunch. They charged citizens slightly over face and tourists ten times face.
Yes, east german 1985 500 mark (ddr) banknotes for sale to collectors !! I know someone who has the East German 1985 500 Mark (DDR) original banknotes. Anyone interested to buy for collection? Just pm me.
Very interesting story,the population of the remainders that were stolen from the cave and not burned must be very low or who knows the original amount printed. If this is the only ones that survived from this series these notes could have the potential to be rare. Are their many that were printed & circulated that were not burned I guess is the important question & what are the amount that are still in collectors /dealers hands ? Nice pick up & a history behind their origin .
Quite a few GDR notes and coins were sold by Busso Peus (dealer/auction house) in several auctions on behalf of the KfW, between 1995 and 2000. Much less than what was stored near Halberstadt, but we are still talking about a total volume of more than half a million notes and about 1.5 million coins ... Christian
I got a bunch of old east german bills but I`m not sure how to price them, the photo here shows one. Anyone can help? let me know in this forum, it`s fine in the open.
edward360, what you have is notgeld, or emergancy money... there are thousands of types, denominations and issuers... value is hard to determine unless you know alot about the notes!
DDR 100,200 and 500 bank notes Hello there, I am interested in your DDR bank notes.I have a buyer for 100,200 and 500 old east germany Deutsche marks up to 1.2 B.Please let me know if your offer is still on and how much of them you have.My email is mokranemoussata@gmail.com.Thank you.Best regards, M.M.
Mokranemoussata@gmail, how much would someone expect to pay for an 100mark bill from the DDR? I also have a few bills and coins left from East Berlin. Sherry
Original DDR 500 series 1985 Have vast quantities. How do I go about showing it to you? First time here so not sure about the rules. Please advice
