MetaChat - German Inflationary Notgeld:

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21 May 2007

German Inflationary Notgeld: A Geocities page with some information about, and images of the crazy banknotes produced during the 1922-3 hyperinflation in Germany, Notgeld being emergency currency.

post by: misteraitch at: 07:33 | 6 comments

notgeld? 'Geld' is awful close to 'gelt' is the yiddish word for 'money.' So are they saying it's 'not gelt' and thus worthless?

posted by jonmc 21 May | 07:38

I recall my grandfather having one of these, a 50-million-mark note or somesuch, a souvenir he'd picked up in occupied Germany. Also, while searching for pictures of notgeld, I found Johannes in Retroland, a very nice Dutch blog devoted to ephemera from 1880-1970, containing images of banknotes, LP sleeves, movie & circus posters, book-covers, etc.

posted by misteraitch 21 May | 07:39

Jonmc: I think the not in notgeld means 'emergency': it was temporary, emergency money.

posted by misteraitch 21 May | 07:42

These are FASCINATING. Thanks, misteraitch!

posted by BoringPostcards 21 May | 07:43

That's cool! I can't wait 'til we do that with US dollars. Should be in about six years.

posted by Hugh Janus 21 May | 07:45

I am always momentarily shocked whenever I see written German.
Somehow my long term memory refuses to process how similar it is to written English, so I always get the "WTF? Why can I read this??" shock.

Anyone remember seeing a page of German money where the bills told a story, progressing into higher denominations?
I think the currency was from the same era.

posted by kellydamnit 21 May | 12:34

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