OT: Does anyone know anything about this Banknote?

historygeek

tbirde56

A crude translations is:
'I am Hitlers ass-wipe. None accepts me, because nobody can buy something fur me. 50 Pfennig hot I around 4.5 bescheiss I everyone, who dinkt that Hitler him which gives.'

MadMuffin

I've never seen it before, but it sure is interesting. It must be a piece made by political opponents to Hitler as it doesn't exactly use flattering words about him. My guess is that it would be from the years when Hitler tries to gain power in Germany, i.e. the late twenties or the early thirties - OR from when he just gained it. The denomination "reichspfennig" went in to use in 1924 if I remember correctly so it can be no earlier than that. On the obverse we see the typical German eagle with the swastika below - I don't know when that went into use, but it can be seen on German coins from 1936. I suppose the conclusion is that I'm not really sure how to date this note

The obverse of the note indicates that it is a copy of a military note. The brown text at the bottom of the note indicates that it is for military use only, not for use in the public.

Hope this helps a little.

Marcel

syraq

I recognize this type of note as they circulated throughout Europe during German occupation in WW2.Of course they only have value if they have the appropriate stamps on the back, this one seems more like a humorous creation.

MSD61

Actually, this is a propaganda note of the type SB173 (the 50 rpf Behelfszahlungsmittel fuer die Deutsche Wehrmacht). These were auxiliary currency notes for the German armed forces that the allies captured by the thousands and then had propaganda printed on the reverse to demean and lower morale of the German solider. There were three other propaganda messages printed on the reverse of his same note.

Many who collect these question why the allies worried about matching the watermark that was found on all auxiliary notes if the purpose was to use them as propaganda. I think it only added a bigger psychological blow to the enemy. If the allies were capturing the real notes and printing messages like these on them, then it means they are capturing troops and lands once occupied by Germany and that the end was near.

As far as value I do not know but the note looks VF to me and a good piece of WWII propaganda used by the allies against Germany.

1jester

That's funny!!!

Askari

Sorry, but I really had to recover from laughing after reading the "message."

A less crude translation of this crude propaganda would be

"I am Hitler's ass-wipe.
Nobody accepts me
Because no one can buy
Anything with me.

"50 Pfennig I am called --
About 4.50 I swindle from
Everyone who thinks
that Hitler has given him something."


MSD61 has correctly described them. Introduced in 1940, Behelfszahlungsmittel ("Auxiliary Payment Certificates") were the legal tender with which members of the German armed services were paid. In essence, they serve the same functions as the "Military Payment Certificates" the US Armed Forces used. They were worth face value in Germany, but were worth ten times face value when used in Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine cantines. It was used to keep "real" German currency from being captured by the enemy as well as to suppress black market dealings (and reduce the degree of fraternization with the locals). They were replaced in 1944 by Verrechnungsschein ("Clearing Notes"), which were always worth face value.