2 Marks Paderborn notgeld

This notgeld is from Paderborn and has the value of 2 Mark. Front shows the yellow Jesuit Church behind a fence. The inscription in German reads: 'Jesuitenkirche 1686' and translates as: 'Jesuit Church 1686'. Reverse has a picture of 'Ferdinand I. Freiherr von Fürstenberg' Ferdinand I, Baron of Fürstenberg', who was Prince Bishop of Paderborn from 1661 to 1683, rebuilding its economy after the Thirty Years' War. Wording on this side reads: 'Die Stadsparkasse Paderborn zahle gegen diese Platz anweisung aus unsem Guthaben an Uberbringer 2 Mar' ' Gutig bis 1 Monat nach offentlicher Aufkunigung Paderborn den 10 November 1921 Der Magistrat'. This translates as 'The Paderborn Savings Bank will pay 2 Marks from our credit against this promissary note'. 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.