I have this German Notgeld on Linen. Wondering if I could get some help translating it. Its very busy and thought maybe a person more knowledgable with german could do a better and faster job than babelfish which isnt that great with some of these notgeld. Also, I am not completely sure I have transcribed the text correctly. Below is the note and link to hires images. I can get even higher res and close up of different areas if needed. If anyone can translate this I would be extremely grateful and would give you credit. In small black type around border: Left: HOLSTE'S BIELEFELDER - STARKE / Right: BIELEFELDER - LEINEN Bottom: Druck: E. GUNDLACH A.G. BIELEFELD. - GESETZLICH - GESCHUTZT D.G.M. In bold red type around border from top left: DIE STADTSPAR KASSE BIELEFELD / ZAHLE GEGEN DIESE PLATZ / ANWEISUNG AUS UNSEREM GUT / HABEN AN UBERBRINGER Small type in black forming triangles from upper left: Red Horse: 30 PREUSS (ii) KRIEGER / FUHRTEN FIE SIEGESGOT / TIN NACH BERLIN ZURUCK (unknown symbol) - Red Man: VIVAT ES LEBE [FraWI(?)] / CHRISTINE SCHILDERMANN DIENSTMA(?) IN BIELEFELD Blue Horse: FUHRLEVIEN AM 30 MAI / 1814 DEN GEHRENBERG / 6 PASSIERTEN MIT FRANZ Blue Man: RAUBT DAS SCHENKTEST DU UNS / WIEDEREHPEL (?) / WAS TYRANNEI GE Large text bordering inner color fields: Lower: DER STADT BIELEFELD AM 15 JULI 1921 / upper: ZUR 700 JAHRIGEN 1221 1921 JUBILAUMSFEIER Around 25 Mark Left: BIELEFELDER LEINEWAND / IM RAVENSBERGER LAND - Around 25 Mark Right: BEWERTE MIT HURRA / HOCH LEB GERMANIA Center Graphic: Winged female figure holding staff / Cart with the date 1814 and 'VON PARIS - NACH BERLIN', child with raised arms below. Two towers on either side with figures reaching out of the widows holding cloth and two German flags on outside of towers. In front of towers are soldiers. On the left tower: DEUTSCHE TREUE DENK AN DEN 20 MAI 1814 IN BIELEFELD On the right tower: HOFFNUNGSVOLLES ZUKUN(M)FTSGLUCK JEI DEUTSCHLANDS LOS In large black type around outter edge: ERSTEN VIER 1922 • EIGELOST WERDEN DIE SCHECK BEI ALLEN KASSEN IN BIELEFELD UND IM KREISE HALLE GULTIG BIS ZUM Small black text in white zigzag border. Very top left to right: MEHR ICH WER DE SIE UBERZEUGEN: GUCKER! / WIE HEISST DER ERSTE ARTIKEL? / BANK! DAS ZWEITE GEBOT?? / KEINE ANTWORT SEHEN / SIE MEINE HERREN. / MEINE HERREN DIE KAPELLE / HAT KEINE AKUSTIK / DIE KAPELLE HAT KEINE AKUSTIK MEHR / FRAULEIN / TRAGEN SIE GRUN / GRUN HEBT JHNEN / WIR IN SCHILDESCHE SIND / KLUGE BAUERN ABER / DIE SCHIRRDEICHSEL AUF / DEM DACH IST NICHT UN / SER FACH / DER NEUBAU WURDE BEWILLIGT Blue diamond shaped panels top left: Horse and rider, figure below saying: RECKEMBER! top right: Horse and ride with figure belowr: RECK HERR BEIN KNECHT HORET (?) Bottom left: ? Bottom right: GESCHEHE HERR DEIN WILLE Red Panels starting far right: 25 M / seated figures GULKER MONEKE (?) BANK / figure PASTOR NAMEYER / 25 M / man with dog, clutch and basket / Trolly BIELEFELDER STRASSENBAHN Center black field with white text: 25 MARK (?) links to hires versions below: http://www.cachecoins.org/bielefeldclothhires02.jpg http://www.cachecoins.org/bielefeldclothhires.jpg
here are translations given to me by someone else on another forum, I think he has a good bit right, but maybe a few might be off: In small black type around border: Left: HOLSTE'S BIELEFELDER-STÄRKE / Right: BIELEFELDER-LEINEN --> refers to the material (starch and cloth) DRUCK: E. GUNDLACH A.G. BIELEFELD. - GESETZLICH GESCHÜTZT D.G.M. --> the printer and copyright notice In bold red type around border from top left: DIE STADTSPARKASSE BIELEFELD ZAHLE GEGEN DIESE PLATZANWEISUNG AUS UNSEREM GUTHABEN AN UBERBRINGER --> The Stadtsparkasse (savings bank) Bielefeld is to pay against this note (Platzanweisung is an odd word IMO ...) from our assets to the bearer Small type in black forming triangles from upper left: Red Horse: 30 PREUSS(ische) KRIEGER FÜHRTEN DIE SIEGESGÖTTIN NACH BERLIN ZURÜCK --> 30 Prussian soldiers/warriors led the Victory Goddess back to Berlin Red Man: VIVAT ES LEBE FRAU (?) CHRISTINE SCHILDERMANN DIENSTMÄDCHEN IN BIELEFELD --> Vivat, long live Ms Christine Schildermann, maid (home help) in Bielefeld (no idea who that is) Blue Horse: 6 WAGEN PASSIERTEN MIT FRANZ(ösischen) FUHRLEUTEN AM 30. MAI 1814 DEN GEHRENBERG --> 6 cars (probably horse drawn vehicles) passed, with French coachmen, on 30 May 1814 the Gehrenberg Blue Man: WAS TYRANNEI GERAUBT DAS SCHENKTEST DU UNS WIEDER! REMPEL PROREKTOR --> What tyranny stole, you gave us back! Rempel Prorektor (could be somebody‘s name and title) Large text bordering inner color fields: ZUR 700JÄHRIGEN 1221-1921 JUBILÄUMSFEIER DER STADT BIELEFELD AM 15 JULI 1921 --> To the 700 year 1221-1921 jubilee celebration of the city of Bielefeld on 15 July 1921 Around 25 Mark Left: BIELEFELDER LEINEWAND / IM RAVENSBERGER LAND --> refers to Bielefeld cloth again, Ravensberg is the name of the region Around 25 Mark Right: BEWERTE MIT HURRA / HOCH LEB GERMANIA --> Assess with hooray / Long (lit. high) live Germania On the left tower: DEUTSCHE TREUE DENK AN DEN 20 MAI 1814 IN BIELEFELD --> German loyalty - think of the 20 May 1814 in Bielefeld On the right tower: HOFFNUNGSVOLLES ZUKUNFTSGLÜCK SEI DEUTSCHLANDS LOS --> Hopeful future luck be Germany's lot (sounds about as strange in German as it sounds in English ...) That note apparently combines two themes: First, the 700 year jubilee of the city of Bielefeld in 1921, and the "repatriation" of the Quadriga, a statue on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. In 1806 the Quadriga was brought from Berlin to Paris by the French army; in 1814 the Prussian army brought it back to Berlin.
The second one is even worse; guess one has to be familiar with lots of details of the local history in order to understand all those allusions. I sure don't ... In the middle (black area) you have the value and the issuer: M 25 MARK Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld The edge text is the usual information about the deadline. The date is written in a strange way: ERSTEN VIER 1922, ie. 1 April 1922. Some more about the odd text bits here: Small black text in white zigzag border. Very top left to right: MEINE HERREN DIE KAPELLE HAT KEINE AKUSTIK MEHR --> Gentlemen, the chapel does not have acoustics any more ICH WERDE SIE ÜBERZEUGEN: GÜCKER! --> I will convince you: Gücker! (probably a name) WIE HEISST DER ERSTE ARTIKEL? BÄNK! --> What is the first article? Bänk! (reminds of a teacher asking students; the images suggest that too) DAS ZWEITE GEBOT?? KEINE ANTWORT --> The second commandment? No answer. SEHEN SIE MEINE HERREN DIE KAPELLE HAT KEINE AKUSTIK MEHR --> You see, gentlemen, the chapel does not have acoustics any more FRÄULEIN TRAGEN SIE GRÜN / GRÜN HEBT IHNEN --> Madam, wear green / Green lifts up (might be some fashion wisdom) WIR IN SCHILDESCHE SIND KLUGE BAUERN --> We in Schildesche (part/suburb of Bielefeld) are good farmers ABER DIE SCHIRRDEICHSEL AUF DEM DACH IST NICHT UNSER FACH --> But the Schirrdeichsel (no idea what that is) on the roof is not our profession DER NEUBAU WURDE BEWILLIGT --> The new building was granted Blue diamond shaped panels top left: Horse and rider, figure below saying: RECKEMEIER! --> probably a name top right: Horse and ride with figure below: REDE HERR DEIN KNECHT HÖRET --> Talk, Lord - your servant listens Bottom left: ? DEM ERSTEN DER MORGEN DEIN HAUS BETRITT GIEB (sic) DEIN KALB --> Give your calf to the first who enters your house tomorrow Bottom right: HERR DEIN WILLE GESCHEHE --> Lord, your will should happen Red Panels starting far right: 25 M / seated figures GÜCKER HÜNEKE BÄNK -->three names; Gücker and Bänk occurred before Does that make sense? Not really.
for example he states this: In the middle (black area) you have the value and the issuer: M 25 MARK Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld As the translation for what is in the inner black field on this side: I dont see that but then again, I cant tell WHAT is written there...anyone want to take a stab? I know it might take some time but I would give you credit as the translator (along with this other guy) if you could at least confirm for me what was translated...maybe even clarrify some things it is saying...
Umm, you don't have to believe me. And of course I do make mistakes now and then. In this particular case (text in the black area) I did not translate from German to English but from a somewhat artistic version of Sütterlin script http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sütterlin to something more easily readable ... As for that second note, perhaps somebody else here is a little more familiar with the history of Bielefeld. Or maybe a Notgeld catalog has some more info about this - but I don't have any, sorry. Christian
HA! I didnt know you guys were one and the same, I had come here in the hopes you would see this and make any corrections or confirm what the other guy might have made. I just wanted a second opinion is all...its not a matter of believing you or not as I cannot see how that jumble translates to Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld... The first letter looks like and 'O' the second looks like an 'l' then 'o' and 'w' etc...the one below looks to start with an 'L' then 'i' then 'n'...BUT...now that I look at it closer I can see that although the letters look like different letters, I can see that the 'e' looks like n and the 'ss' looks like two 'LL' so I can kinda see it. but I will take your word for it because it makes sense that is what would be there. Also these are the same note...rev and obv... BTW...that link to the script makes the whole thing clear...thanks...but I must say its a messed up script Again, I sure appreciate your help with these bills, and I hope you know I just wanted a second opinion and possible clarrification regarding some of the details...no insult intended.
Yeah, those different usernames - long story. And yes, of course asking for more info is fine. I edited my previous reply and added the link to the Sütterlin script. In some ways that (hand)writing style is similar to the printed "Fraktur" that you may have come across on Nazi Germany's coinage for example. Both are "old and odd" these days, but Fraktur is a little easier to read methinks. What they have in common is the differentiation between the "long s" and the "round s". But some Sütterlin characters are really weird indeed, like the lowercase E, or the uppercase B and S. Well, Fraktur is still used (in print) from time to time when you want to convey "tradition" - be it newspaper titles or pub signs. But Sütterlin ... don't think that is still used by anybody. Christian
I HAVE 'Fraktur' font on my computer even and I dont have that much trouble reading it. The Sutterlin font is a bit bizarre and unreadable but once you linked me to the page about the font I can now see how it represents each letter, I can see that indeed it is as you say. Good to know for next time, I am sure I might experience that script again and it wont be such a mystery. Thanks again Christian.
Has anyone read the novel "The Tin Drum"? Seeing or hearing about Sutterlin script always reminds me of that... That's a really nice piece of notgeld!
Okay, I got this page up, thanks for the help and if one sees a glaring error, feel free to let me know...thanks: http://www.cachecoins.org/bielefeld03.htm
