1/2 Mark Strausberg notgeld

This notgeld is from Strausberg and has the value of 1/2 Mark. It shows an image from the 18th century,with a horse and broken carriage on the left and two gentlemen on the right. The inscription in German reads: 'Ich habe nicht gedacht, dass ich in meinen Landen ein so gottverfluchtes Drecknest habe, 1765' and translates as: 'I did not think I had such a goddamn filth in my lands, 1765'. It refers to a visit by Frederick the Great. This is one of sixty notgeld or 'emergency money' banknotes in the reference collection of packaging material which belonged to the designer Charles Hasler. Notgeld were produced by German towns, villages and municipalities from the end of the First World War until the mid 1920s, when the state bank (the Reichsbank), struggled with wartime metal shortages and post- war hyperinflation. The highly decorative notes soon became collectors items - and still remain to this day. They are double-sided and printed with their monetary value, information about the village, town or province of issue and some colourful illustration.