Germany 5 Reichsmark (1942) Third Reich

The Reichsmark (literally in English: Reich's mark; sign: ℛℳ) was the currency in Germany from 1924 until June 20, 1948. The Reichsmark was subdivided into 100 Reichspfennig.

The Reichsmark was introduced in 1924 as a permanent replacement for the Papiermark. This was necessary due to the 1920s German inflation which had reached its peak in 1923. The exchange rate between the old Papiermark and the Reichsmark was 1 ℛℳ = 10¹² Papiermark (one trillion in both UK and US English, one billion in German and other European languages). To stabilize the economy and to smooth the transition, the Papiermark was not directly replaced by the Reichsmark, but by the Rentenmark, an interim currency backed by the Deutsche Rentenbank, owning industrial and agricultural real estate assets.

 

Obverse: Portrait of a young man

Reverse: A young peasant couple; Bronze Lion Monument on the
Burgplatz, in Braunschweig in front of a Romanesque 

Braunschweig Cathedral

The Reichsmark was replaced in June 1948 by the Deutsche Mark in West Germany and later in the same year by the East German Mark (colloquially also "Ostmark", since 1968 officially "Mark der DDR") in East Germany.

Germany 2 Rentenmark (1937)

The Rentenmark (literally, "Debt Security Mark") (RM) was a currency issued on 15 November 1923 to stop the hyperinflation of 1922 and 1923 in Germany. It was subdivided into 100 Rentenpfennig.

Due to the economic crises in Germany after World War I, there was no gold available to back the currency. Therefore the Rentenbank, which issued the Rentenmark, mortgaged land and industrial goods worth 3.2 billion Rentenmark to back the new currency.

The Rentenmark was only a temporary currency and was not legal tender. It was, however, accepted by the population and effectively stopped the inflation. The Reichsmark became the new legal tender on 30 August 1924, equal in value to the Rentenmark.

The Rentenbank continued to exist after 1924 and the notes and coins continued to circulate. The last Rentenmark notes were valid until 1948.

The first issue of banknotes was dated November 1, 1923, and was in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 Rentenmark. Later issues of notes were 10 and 50 Rentenmark (1925), 5 Rentenmark (1926), 50 Rentenmark (1934) and 1 and 2 Rentenmark and dated 1937.

 

Obverse: Denomination

Reverse: Wheat sheaf and value

Germany 5 Deutsche Mark (1980)

The Deutsche Mark (German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈmaʁk]; abbreviated "DM") was the official currency of West Germany (1948–1990) and Germany (1990–2002) until the adoption of the euro in 2002. It is commonly called the "Deutschmark" in English but not in German. Germans often say "Mark" or "D-Mark". It was first issued under Allied occupation in 1948 replacing the Reichsmark, and served as the Federal Republic of Germany's official currency from its founding the following year until 1999, when the mark was replaced by the euro.

One Deutsche Mark was divided into 100 pfennigs.

Obverse: Portrait of a young Venetian woman ("Junge Venezianerin") (1505) by Albrecht Dürer. Oil on elm panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

Reverse: Oak sprig

The German mark had a reputation as one of the world's most stable currencies; this was based on the monetary policy of the Bundesbank. The policy was "hard" in relation to the policies of certain other central banks in Europe. The "hard" and "soft" was in respect to the aims of inflation and political interference. This policy was the foundation of the European Central Bank's present policy towards the euro.

Before the switch to the euro, the mark was considered a major international reserve currency, second only to the United States dollar.

Watermark: Young Venetian woman by A. Dürer.

Many thanks to Michael P. from Germany.

Germany 1000 Mark/1 Milliarde Mark (1922) Papiermark

The name Papiermark (English: paper mark, officially just Mark, sign: ℳ) is applied to the German currency from the 4th August 1914 when the link between the Goldmark and gold was abandoned, due to the outbreak of World War I.

In particular, the name is used for the banknotes issued during the hyperinflation in Germany of 1922 and especially 1923 (see Inflation in the Weimar Republic), which was a result of the German government's decision to pay its war debt by printing banknotes.

From 1914, the value of the Mark fell. The rate of inflation rose following the end of World War I and reached its highest point in October 1923. The currency was stabilized in November, 1923 after the announcement of the creation of the Rentenmark, although the Rentenmark did not come into circulation until 1924. When it did, it replaced the Papiermark at the rate of 1 trillion Papiermark = 1 Rentenmark. Later in 1924, the Rentenmark was replaced by the Reichsmark.

Here is a 1000 Mark banknote, over-stamped in red with "Eine Milliarde Mark" long scale (1,000,000,000 mark), issued in Germany during the hyperinflation of 1923.

 

Obverse: German mint master Jorg Herz

Reverse: Value

 

The victor nations in World War I decided to assess Germany for their costs of conducting the war against Germany. With no means of paying in gold or currency backed by reserves, Germany ran the presses, causing the value of the Mark to collapse. Many Germans literally carted wheelbarrows of cash to pay for groceries.

During the hyperinflation, ever higher denominations of banknotes were issued by the Reichsbank and other institutions (notably the Reichsbahn railway company). The Papiermark was produced and circulated in enormously large quantities. Before the war, the highest denomination was 1000 Mark, equivalent to approximately 50 British pounds or 238 US dollars. In early 1922, 10,000-Mark notes were introduced, followed by 100,000 and 1 million Mark notes in February 1923. July 1923 saw notes up to 50 million Mark, with 10 milliard (10¹⁰) Mark notes introduced in September. The hyperinflation peaked in October 1923 and banknote denominations rose to 100 billion (10¹⁴) Mark. At the end of the hyperinflation, these notes were worth approximately 5 pounds or 24 dollars.

Note on numeration: In German, Milliarde is 1,000,000,000, or one thousand million, while Billion is 1,000,000,000,000, or one million million.