50 Pfennig, Stadt Pössneck, 1921

Notgeld der Stadt Pössneck

common Grabowski/Mehl 1066

What was happening

Pössneck is a town in eastern Thuringia, on the Kotschau south of Jena. A cloth- and wool-weaving town from the late Middle Ages, it diversified over the 19th and 20th centuries into porcelain, tanning, chocolate and — above all — large-scale book printing, which it remains known for today. In 1921 it belonged to the former Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen within the new Land of Thuringia.

Like thousands of German towns in the inflation years, Pössneck issued decorative Serienscheine — emergency small change produced in sets, far beyond any real need, for sale to collectors. This note is the 50-Pfennig value of a three-note set (25, 50 and 75 Pfennig) whose shared front shows the town arms — a lion on a blue shield beneath a mural crown — framed in bold red interlace, over "STADT PÖSSNECK · NOTGELD". The reverse carries a view of the town in an oval cartouche. Signed for the "Magistrat und Gemeinderat"; the design carries the artist's mark "Rohde, Jena"; printed by Johannes Arndt of Jena.

The note lost its validity one month after public notice of withdrawal.

Symbology

Town arms (lion beneath a mural crown): The civic arms of Pössneck, a lion on a blue shield, tied to its medieval Thuringian lordship; the mural (walled) crown is the common mark of a town. Set in red Jugendstil interlace on the front of every note in the set.
Town view (reverse): A view of Pössneck in an oval, bordered by repeated "PFENNIG" lettering — the town showing itself off, as these collector notes were meant to.
"Verliert seine Gültigkeit 1 Monat nach Bekanntmachung": No fixed expiry date: the voucher simply lapsed a month after the town announced it would no longer be honoured — a flexible clause common on municipal Notgeld.

Rarity

German municipal Notgeld survives in very large quantities. Pössneck is town no. 1066 in Grabowski and Mehl, which issued several different 25/50/75-Pfennig sets in 1921 (a Goethe series, an industry series, and others); the arms-and-town-view set this note belongs to is probably 1066.1 or 1066.2, but the exact sub-number is not confirmed against the catalogue.

50 Pfennig, Stadt Pössneck, 1921

What was happening

1 copy in the collection