German Coins & Notes
The bronze 1 and 2 Reichspfennig issued from 1936 to 1940 with an eagle and swastika. The aluminum-bronze (brass) 5 and 10 Reichspfennig issued from 1936 to 1939 with an eagle and swastika. The aluminum 50 Reichspfennig picturing an eagle, which was dated only one year, 1935. The nickel 1 Reichsmark with an eagle which was issued from 1933 to 1939. Because nickel was a critical war material, most were melted during the War. The silver 5 Reichmark issued in 1934 and 1935 pictures the Potsdam Garrison Church where Hitler was sworn into office on one side and an eagle and two small swastikas on the other. Paul von Hindenburg and an Eagle are on the silver 5 Reichsmark dated 1935 and 1936. The silver 2 Reichsmark and 5 Reichsmark dating from 1936 to 1939 pictures Hindenburg on one side and an eagle holding a swastika during the other. Because of World War II, the only coins issued after 1940 were the zinc 1, 5 and 10 Reichspfennig, and the aluminum 50 Reichspfennig, which depict an eagle holding a swastika.
The following notes were used in Nazi Germany throughout World War II and remained legal tender until 1948. The notes bear two dates: the date the note was first authorized, and the date the issuing bank was authorized to issue currency. Unlike coins, the date is not the year the note was printed. These Reichsbank notes were supposedly backed by gold.
The 1935 100 Reichsmark features a large swastika underprint at the center. To the right is Justus von Liebig, a 19th century German chemist who is "Father of the Fertilizer Industry" for his discovery of nitrogen as an essential plant nutrient. The back depicts allegorical figures.
The 50 Reichsmark features the portrait and watermark of 19th century Prussian politician and banker David Hansemann. The back features a portrait of Mercury and two small children. The design does not include a swastika. The note is dated March 30, 1933, which is one week after Hitler assumed control over Germany.
The 20 Reichsmark note dated 1929 portrays Ernst Werner Siemens, the 19th century German industralist and inventor who founded the Siemens A.G. which has expanded into a multi-national company producing a wide range products. The back features children holding tools and a worker carrying a hammer. It has a watermark of Siemans at the left and an embosed seal near the lower left corner. The note continued in circulation throughout World War II.
In 1939 a new 20 Reichsmark note was introduced, with a design taken from an unissued Austrian note. Austria had been forcibly incorporated into the Third Reich the previous year. The front depicts a young woman holding edelweiss, There is also a small eagle and swastika and a large swastika underprint. The back pictures an alpine lake. Both 20 Reichsmark notes continued to circulate throughout the war years.
The 10 Reichsmark depicts Albrecht Thaer, a 19th Century German agriculturalist who applied scientific principles to agriculture and set up one of the first agricultural colleges. The back features two children and a woman carrying a sickle. The note is dated January 22, 1929. It has a watermark of Thaer at the right and an embossed seal near the lower left corner.
Nazi Germany introduced this 5 Reichsmark note in 1942 to replace the silver 5 Reichsmark coins which were disappearing from circulation due to hoarding. The front of the note features a German young Hitler Youth Man, along with a small eagle and swastika. The back depicts a woman with a sickle and a man with a wood plane, representing farming and industry. Between them is a vignette of the Brunswick Cathedral and the Brunswick Lion statue. The Lion was commissioned by Henry the Lion about 1166AD. The statue is the oldest, preserved large sculpture from the Middle Ages north of the Alps. The note measures 140×70mm and is brown. The left side features a watermark of the numeral "5".
