Here is 10,000 mark note that made a subtle political statement, a German inflation era Vampire note. After the end of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles called for the German state to pay reparations for the war. The payments crippled the German Weimar Republic and sowed the seeds for World War II. It is truly amazing how stupid the diplomats of that era were. Wartime inflation had already disrupted the German economy and had sent the Germans into an inflationary mind set. Between the end of the war in 1918 and 1919, the inflation rate was running at 20% per year. Between 1919 and 1921 prices for food and other basic essentials went up eight times for an average inflation rate of 400% per year. In January 1922 the German Government introduced a 10,000 mark note which was the largest denomination at the time. This note featured a scowling portrait of German artist Albrecht Durer (1471 to 1528) with a thick neck. If one looks carefully at the neck of this unhappy individual, you can discern a face with a long nose biting into the throat of his victim. This bit of subtle satire was aimed at the French who, with their insistence upon reparation payments, were draining the life’s blood from the German economy. It was a message that was easily missed by those who were not looking for it, but quietly noted by those who agreed with it.
Guess we all like to read "statements" that we share into various objects or phenomenons. Of course the German government, or rather the Reichsbank, did not specifically ask to add such a thing. Whether some engraver accidentally or intentionally emphasized a line ... who knows. But the point is that quite a few people were ready to believe the note had that message. Christian
See below ... quickly did it on a different image of that note. In my opinion that is similar to what some people "suddenly found", in 1933, in the 5, 10 and 50 Rpf coins from 1924: supposedly Jewish and freemasonry symbols. Even the (then nazi) government said this was nonsense, and continued making those coins until 1936. As for this note, well, people apparently find odd and obscure conspiracy theories fascinating, be it on US dollar bills or in many other occasions. As for the conditions of the Versailles Treaty, much could be said about that. Just keep in mind that both the French and German governments, in the days of WW1, had the brilliant plan to finance the costly war with war bonds that were to be paid back ultimately by the loser of the war. Well, such plans never work out well for the losing party. After WW2 many things were done differently, partly because of the beginning Cold War, partly because enemies became partners ... Christian