1921 Germany Lemgo Lippe 50 Pfennig Notgeld Hanseatic Church Serienschein Banknote
Front Description:
Genuine German emergency money (Notgeld) voucher denominated 50 Pfennig, issued by the town of Lemgo in Lippe, dated 25 May 1921. Printed in black, grey and yellow on cream paper in a hand-drawn Expressionist woodcut style, in an upright (portrait) format, printed by Oscar Mai, Lemgo (per the imprint at the foot).
At the top left is the series letter and serial number “Cd No 016315.” Below, in very large hand-drawn lettering, is the denomination “50 Pf.”
The dominant central device is a large grey heraldic shield of irregular hand-drawn outline containing a pale disc divided by five radiating spokes with a yellow boss at the centre — a stylised wheel or rose motif. Decorative curling scrollwork flanks the shield.
Beneath, in ornate hand-drawn lettering, is the inscription “Lemgo anno dm. 1921” (Lemgo in the year of our Lord 1921), finished with curling flourishes.
Below this, in small Fraktur (blackletter), is the validity text: “Gut für 50 Pfennig. Umwechselung in Reichsgeld jederzeit durch die städtischen Kassen. Ungültig 1 Monat nach öffentlicher Aufforderung zur Einlösung.” (Good for 50 pfennig. Exchange into Reich currency at any time through the municipal cash offices. Invalid one month after public call for redemption.) The place and date line reads “Lemgo, 25. Mai 1921.”
Beneath are the issuing authorities with multiple handwritten-style facsimile signatures and their captions: “Der Magistrat:” (The Magistrate) at left, with signatures captioned “Bürgermeister” (Mayor), “Ratsherr” (Councillor) and “Kämmerer” (Treasurer); and “Der Stadtverordneten-Vorsteher:” (The Chairman of the Town Deputies) at right with further signatures. The printer’s credit “Oscar Mai, Lemgo.” appears at the very bottom.
Condition (technical): uncirculated or about uncirculated, approximately UNC grade. Crisp, clean paper with fresh colours, no folds and sharp corners, with only the faintest handling and minimal toning. Excellent state of preservation typical of collector-saved Serienscheine.
Back Description:
Printed in black, brown-grey and pale yellow in the same hand-drawn style, also in upright format. The denomination “50” appears in bold Fraktur numerals at both upper corners.
The main illustration is set within a tall pointed Gothic arch frame, drawn as though looking out through a church window. Within it is a view of the twin towers of the Church of St Nicholas (Nicolaikirche) in Lemgo: a shorter, elaborately crocketed and pinnacled tower at left, and a taller, plain tower with a steeply tapering spire at right, both rendered in fine pen hatching with the stonework indicated. Birds fly in the pale sky behind, with soft cloud forms and a suggestion of a large rose window in the background. A low wall and roofline appear at the foot of the scene.
The artist’s monogram “KML” appears in the lower right of the illustration.
Across the bottom of the design, in large ornate Fraktur with flowing calligraphic flourishes, is the inscription “Alte Hansestadt Lemgo” (Old Hanseatic town of Lemgo).
Text summary (as transcribed):
Cd No 016315 (series and serial) · 50 Pf. · Lemgo anno dm. 1921 · Gut für 50 Pfennig (Good for 50 pfennig) · Umwechselung in Reichsgeld jederzeit durch die städtischen Kassen. Ungültig 1 Monat nach öffentlicher Aufforderung zur Einlösung · Lemgo, 25. Mai 1921 · Der Magistrat / Bürgermeister / Ratsherr / Kämmerer · Der Stadtverordneten-Vorsteher · Oscar Mai, Lemgo (printer) · 50 · KML (artist monogram) · Alte Hansestadt Lemgo (Old Hanseatic town of Lemgo)
Estimated Era:
Confirmed issue of 25 May 1921, Lemgo in the Principality (later Free State) of Lippe, Weimar Germany. This is a Serienschein, one of the artistically designed small-denomination Notgeld series notes produced in large numbers in 1920–22, frequently printed primarily for sale to collectors rather than for genuine circulation, which accounts for the superb condition in which they typically survive. The designs draw on Lemgo’s identity as a former Hanseatic town, with its medieval rose emblem and the twin towers of St Nicholas’s Church. The 50 Pfennig denomination and 1921 date place it in the pre-hyperinflation phase of the Weimar period, before denominations escalated into millions and milliards during 1923.
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