Collection of Notgeld

Item — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 001-04-05

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises around 2000 individual notes. Earlier notes (prior to the 1920s) were used by people as currency and thus their design is somewhat more utilitarian. By the early 1920s, notgeld became collector’s items and were often printed with commemorative designs, featuring colorful expressions of local identity and civic pride. Due to hyperinflation in 1923, notgeld regained their role as an alternative currency for a brief period. Notgeld provides a resource for studying the post-war economic crisis in Germany and understanding public feeling in the early years of the Weimar Republic at the local level. It also offers material for those interested in the history of graphic design and advertising.

Dates

1914-1924

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Providence Public Library, Special Collections department.

Biographical / Historical

Notgeld, or “emergency money,” was a temporary currency initially born of economic necessity during World War I, but which soon blossomed across the former German Empire as a visual expression of local cultural identity. As there was no longer an effective national currency for the lower denominations due to inflation, every town and city had to create its own. Thus, Notgeld was introduced as a substitute currency during a coin shortage driven by the War, featuring patriotic and sometimes subversive messages. Popular with the German people, it became highly collectible and special commemorative notes were issued by towns desperate for revenue, often in sets. During the hyperinflation of 1922-1923, it regained its role as an alternative currency. Notgeld was abolished with the introduction of the Rentenmark as the national currency in November 1923.

Extent

.5 Linear Feet (1 postcard box and 1 four-flap enclosure for oversize notgeld.)

Language of Materials

German

Additional Description

Arrangement

The bulk of the items in this collection are housed together in a single box maintaining the original order as they were received. This order is not chronological nor geographical. Oversized currency is gathered together in a separate soft spine documentation binder.