Cow Cowson

A partial set of 20, 25 Pf., and 1 Mark notes from the city of Fürstenwalde!

This set follows the history of Fürstenwalde, beginning in the late 13th century.

From top to bottom, the not es describe:

1250: the settlement of the area with the German migration east during the period known as Ostsiedlung, or "East settlement".

1285: The city is officially incorporated.

1285: Fürstenwalde is granted its town charter

1373: Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV invades Brandenburg, controlled by the house of Wittelsbach, in order to capture it for the house of Luxembourg

50 Pf from the city of Hamburg!

This note call itself Notwechselgeld, or "emergency change", which is another variation that I haven't seen before.

The reverse of this note shows some soldiers of the Hamburg Bürgerwehr, the citizens army that the free city of Hamburg was allowed to muster until 1867. Hamburg was granted the status as a free city all the way back in 1189, and it has retained this history of sovereignty as a cultural standing point to this day.

A beautiful blue 10 Pf note, again, from the city of Greiffenberg, modern day Gryfów Śląski, Poland!

Jahrestag Haul!

In order to celebrate one year of Notgeld of the week, I've put together a recent haul with some very interesting and colourful notes!

First are these three 1 and 2 Mark notes from the town of Ennigerloh. The text on these are very hard to read, but what is clear is the large devil figure appearing on the first note. This series is also notable for being the last appearance of Ennigerloh's old coat of arms.

This 25 Pf. note from Krefeld carries the humorous inscription "so much paper for so little money!"

A nice vertical notgeld from the city of Celle

Several notes from the Altenburg from the Prinzenraub or "princeknapping" series, based off Kunz von Kauffungen's kidnapping of two princes of Saxony, which happened this very day back in 1455!

Several notes from Arnstadt

25 Pf. from the city of Stettin, modern day Szczecin, Poland!

This note has two references to two different literary works. The first, shown on the reverse, is the poet Robert Prutz. Whose portrait sits above an excerpt from the poem "An Dahlman", and translates to:

The bastion of freedom will be raised, The tower of justice shall stand, And above all, high from above, The banner of the law will wave!

50 Pf. from Greiffenberg, modern day Gryfów Śląski, Poland!

This beautiful blue note has a humous inscription on its obverse, poking fun at the quality of money over the years:

25 Pf. from the city of Greiffenberg, modern day Gryfów Śląski, Poland!

The city takes its name from the mythical griffin which, according to legend, a nest of some were found while constructing the Greiffenstein castle. The griffin also appears on the town's coat of arms, pictured on the obverse.

A 25 Pf Kreigsnotgeld from the city of Göttingen!

Two one sided 10 and 25 Pf. notes from Goslar

10 Pf. from the city of Goslar in the Harz mountain range in central Germany!

Another 10 Pf. from the city of Glogau (Głogów)!

A low denomination 5 Pf. note from Glogau, modern day Głogów, Poland!

Another note from Gernrode! This time a 50 Pf. note.

25 Pf. from the city of Gernrode!

50 Pf. from the city of Calbe!

The images on the reverse of this notgeld series tell the tale of Calbe Roland statute, a statue of the knight Roland symbolizing a medieval town's independence. Roland was a knight who fought under Charlemagne in the 8th century who became a folk tale hero across Europe. Calbe's Roland statue dates back to the 1380's and was originally made out of wood, but it has since been rebuilt out of stone. In 1656, the original Calbe Roland was in need of replacement and a sculptor, Gottfried Gigas, was contracted. However, as the legends go, the statue had poor proportions, leading to the story depicted on this notgeld.

The poem on the reverse side of this notgeld reads:

25 Pf. from the city of Canth, now Kąty Wrocławskie in Poland!

The two buildings on the reverse skyline are the city hall (left) and the St. Peter and Paul church (right).

1 Mark from the village of Dalhausen, in the district of Höxter!