Papenburg Notgeld

This note was printed for the German town of Papenburg in the district of Emsland in Lower Saxony. Situated on the river Ems, Papenburg is best known as being the headquarters for a large shipbuilding industry that operates from the Meyer Werft shipyard.

Built in 1795 as a wharf for the construction of wooden ships, the shipyard has, over generations, built many different types of ships, most recently luxury cruise ships.

Post war Germany suffered extremely high poverty levels, rampant inflation, and general hard times. This note, illustrated in a simple cartoonish style, depicts the woes of the taxman who faces the task of taking money from a starving populace.

A note like this is generally considered to be 'serienscheine' or Series Notes. Notes printed primarily to be collected. The collection of these types of notes became popular and spurred a large number of people to started collecting paper money systematically,

Papenburg / 50 Pfennig Note / 1921 / Lindman 1016 / Mehl 1044

Obv: dat geld mot man vandei liie nahmen van dei bome schiidden kann man't nich / J. Berck - 1921

Translation: The money must taken from the people, you can't shake it from the trees.

Rev: Notgeld der Stadt Papenburg / dieser schein verliert seine gultigkeit ein monat noch offentlichem aufruf / der Magistrat: Jaeger / Gerhard Stalling - Oldenburg

Translation: Notgeld of the City Papenburg / This bill loses its value one month after the public invocation / Magistrate: Jaeger

75 pfennig note in this Papenburg series