WORLD WAR I REMEMBERED 
2014 to 2018 marks the
100th Anniversary of World War I, also known as
"The Great War" or the "The War to End All Wars". The war
and its aftermath created numerous coin and currency issues.
Old empires were swept away and new nations
created. The lands of the former
Austro-Hungarian
Empire went to the form the nations of
Austria,
Czechoslovakia,
Hungary and
with parts going to create
Poland
and
Yugoslavia.
The collapse of the Czarist government of
Russia
brought on by the Bolshevik Revolution allowed Finland,
Estonia,
Latvia,
Lithuania and
Poland to gain
independence. Other portions of the Russian Empire also
gained temporary independence
before coming back under Russian control. From the
lands of the
Ottoman
Empire:
Turkey,
Iraq,
Syria,
Lebanon,
Palestine (now
Israel, Jordan and maybe
someday
an
independent
Palestine),
Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sultanate of Nejd (today
Saudi Arabia), the
Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen,
and the
Arab States of the
Persian Gulf were created. The
financial and political instability that
followed the war helped instigate
World
War II. This page includes a number of historic banknotes and
coins associated with World War I and its aftermath.
THE
BEGINNINGS
GERMAN EMPIRE
COIN
& CURRENCY SETS
In 1871 Otto Von Bismarck united the 26 independent German States
under Prussian King Wilhelm I, forming the Second Reich, also known as
the German Empire. During its 47 years of existence, the German Empire
became the industrial, technological, and scientific giant of Europe
and the world's third largest economy. It created a colonial
empire and possessed the world strongest army. The Empire
disintegrated as a result of Germany's defeat in World War I.
This five-coin set includes the silver 1/2 Mark, minted from 1905 to
1919; the copper-nickel 5 and 10 Pfennig and the copper 1 and 2
Pfennig, which were minted from 1874 to 1916. All five coins
feature the Imperial German Eagle on the reverse and the denomination
on the obverse. The coins grade Fine or Extra
Fine.
The set of 3 banknotes consist of the 20 Mark, 100 Mark and 1000 Mark
notes dated between 1908 and 1914. The blue 20 Mark featured a crowned
imperial German Eagle at the upper right and measures
136x90mm.
The blue 100 Mark includes a large crowned imperial German Eagle on the
front. The back features two women holding a large medallion
depicting a woman's head. The large note measures 160 x105mm (6.3" x
4.1"). The brown 1000 Mark note features two allegorical women
representing seafaring and agriculture flanking the imperial German
arms. The over-sized note is 187mm x 110mm (7.3” x 4.3”). It is printed
on special ridged hemp paper containing blue silk threads.
When
first issued the three notes could be redeemed for over 12 ounces of
gold on demand! After the start of World War I
Germany
halted the redemption of banknotes for gold - but kept on printing
banknotes. By 1922 the notes were virtually worthless due to
inflation. It is an impressive and historic currency set.
Item
DE-EMP-SET6 GERMAN EMPIRE 6 COIN SET 1
PFENNIG - 1 MARK 1874-1918 F-XF
$20.00
Item
PM-DE-SET3 GERMAN EMPIRE 20, 100
& 1000 MARK BANKNOTES 1908-1914 F-VF
$6.00
Item
PM-DE-SET3x10 10 OF THE ABOVE GERMAN
EMPIRE 3 NOTE SETS
$39.00
Item
PM-DE-SET3x100 100 OF THE ABOVE
GERMAN
EMPIRE 3 NOTE SETS
$195.00
BOLSHEVIK 5 RUBLE NOTE OF RUSSIA

Bolshevik
type 5 Rubles - Reduced
size image
World War I brought about the fall Russian Empire. After the collapse
of the Czarist government in 1917, the Provisional Russian Government
and the Bolsheviks continued to issue the Czarist 5 Ruble note dated
1909. The only significant difference between the Czarist and the
Bolshevik issues is that the Czarist notes had a full serial number
consisting of two letters and six digits, while the Bolshevik notes had
only a series number consisting of two letters and 3 digits. The lack
of serial numbers and backdating the notes allowed them to issue large
quantities of unbacked currency. The beautiful, large (99mm x 158),
blue and pink vertical format 5 Ruble note features the Romanov
Imperial Eagle on both sides. When first issued, the note could be
exchanged 3.87 grams of gold, which today would be worth over $200! It
is a large, impressive piece of historical currency from a turbulent
time in Russian histor
Item
PM-RU-5R-BOLSH RUSSIA-BOLSHEVIK 5 RUBLES
1909
series number P35 VF
$5.00

THE
WAR YEARS 1914-1918
WWI AUSTRIAN POW CAMP
NOTES
These 10 and 20 Heller notes were issued by the Aschach A.D.
Prisoner of War camp during World War I. The camp
was
located near the small town of Aschach an der Donau, which is in Upper
Austria on the Danube River. The POW Camp primarily held Officers and
Non-commissioned officers from Serbia and Montenegro. The Serbian
government estimated some 6000 of its citizens died at the camp due to
poor living conditions, lack of hygiene and inadequate medical
care. Today Aschach is a town of about 2000 people, which is
not
much larger than it was during the War. The undated notes have the same
design on the front and back, featuring a "modern" Austrian eagle. The
undated 110 x 70mm notes were issued from about 1916 to 1918.
Item
PM-AT-POW10 AUSTRIA, ASCHACH POW CAMP 10
HELLER NOTE
AU-UNC. out
Item
PM-AT-POW20 AUSTRIA, ASCHACH POW CAMP 20
HELLER NOTE
AU-UNC. $15.00
IRON COINS OF GERMANY


Because
copper and nickel were needed for the war effort, Germany switched the
copper-nickel 5 Pfennig to iron in 1915, and the 10 Pfennig to iron in
1916. Both coins continued to be struck in iron until 1922,
by which time inflation had eroded their value so much they were no
longer needed. Both coins have the denomination and date on one side
and the Germanic Eagle on the other.
Item
DE-IRON GERMANY IRON 5 & 10 PFENNIG 1915-1922 KM19 & 20 VF-XF
$3.00
THE
AFTERMATH
RUSSIAN
"BABYLONIAN" NOTES URGES
"WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!
In 1919, after the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Revolution, the
fledgling Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic, issued a series
of currency notes with the inscriptions "WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!"
written in seven languages: Russian, German, French, Italian, Greek,
English, Arabic, and Chinese. Because of the linguistic multiplicity,
these notes are known as "Babylonians," a reference to the Biblical
Tower of Babel. The phrase is perhaps the most well-known
line in the "Communist Manifesto", written in 1848 by Karl Marx and
Friedrich Engels. Also featured on the notes is the
hammer and sickle within a wreath. All three notes have a
similar design featuring the inscriptions on one side and the
denomination and date on the other.
Item
PM-RU-500R-19 RUSSIA 500 RUBLES NOTE 1919
P103 VG-F "WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!
$15.00
BANKNOTE OF
UPPER
AUSTRIA

After the collapse and dismemberment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
following its defeat in World War I, coins disappeared from
circulation. The state of Upper Austria issued small, low
denomination
notes to help alleviate the coin shortage. One side of the
orange 50 Heller note features the arms of Upper
Austria. The other side is blank.
Both notes are dated 1921 and were issued in
Linz, the capital of Upper Austria.
Item
PM-UPAT-50
UPPER AUSTRIA 50 HELLER 1921 PS121 UNC. $3.00
BONN CELEBRATES
BEETHOVEN 

The
German city of Bonn commemorated the 150th anniversary of the birth
of Ludwig van Beethoven on these 1920 10, 25 and 50 Pfennig coins. All three coins have the same basic design with
Beethoven's bust and the dates 1770 and 1920 are on the obverse and the denomination is on the
reverse. The coins are struck in zinc plated iron. Beethoven was born in Bonn and studied there before moving to
Vienna in 1792. During and after World War I many German
cities and towns issued their own coins, called notgeld (emergency
money) to alleviate a severe coin shortage brought on by the war.
Item
BONN-10PF-BEET BONN, GERMANY 10 PFENNIG 1920
BEETHOVEN XF-AU
$5.00
Item
BONN-25PF-BEET BONN, GERMANY 25 PFENNIG 1920
BEETHOVEN XF-AU
$7.00
Item
BONN-50PF-BEET BONN, GERMANY 50 PFENNIG 1920
BEETHOVEN XF-AU
$7.00
HIGH-GRADE WEIMAR
GERMAN BANKNOTE
These 1 and 2 Mark notes dated March 1, 1920 were some of the first
notes issued by Germany's Weimar government after World War I. They
were needed to help relieve the serious coin shortage that developed in
Germany during and after World War I. The notes were
technically were not legal tender but a non-interest-bearing loan to
the government. that did not stop people from accepting them as the low
denomination notes were needed to purchase essential goods.
When first issued the 1 Mark note could buy about a pound of flour or
half a
dozen eggs. The notes include an embossed seal and are
printed on watermarked paper. They are quite reasonably priced for
historic high-grade notes that are a century old.
Item
PM-DE-1+2M GERMANY 1 & 2 MARK NOTES
1920 P58 & P59 UNC.
$5.00
GERMAN WEIMAR
REPUBLIC
100 MARK BANKNOTE

The Weimar Republic was formed after
the defeat of the German Empire in
World War I. Its early years were a tumultuous period of
uprisings, riots and massive inflation. It is named after the
city where the new German constitution was written and adopted in
August, 1919, and lasted until the rise of the Nazis in
1933. The 100 Mark note features two
images of the head of the “Bamberg Horseman”. The horseman is
an impressive 13th century sculpture in the Bamberg
Cathedral. The Bamberg
Horsman depicts a famous king, however which king it is is a matter of
debate. The note is dated November 1, 1920, measures
162x108mm and includes
the red Weimar Republic crest.
Item
PM-DE-100M-20-C GERMANY-WEIMAR 100 MARK NOTE,
1920
P69 Fine-VF $3.00
Item
PM-DE-100M-20x10 10 OF THE ABOVE GERMAN 100
MARK NOTES,
1920
P69 VG-VF $15.00
Item
PM-DE-100M-20x100 100 OF THE ABOVE GERMAN
100 MARK NOTES,
1920
P69 VG-VF $75.00
Item
PM-DE-100M-20-U GERMANY-WEIMAR 100 MARK NOTE,
1920
P69b AU-UNC. $10.00
POPULAR GERMAN
100,000 MARK
INFLATION NOTE
This 100,000 Mark note dated February 1, 1922 is one of the most
popular of the German inflation notes. The large (190 x
115mm) note features a cut from Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait
"The Merchant Georg Gisze". At the time the painting was done
in 1532 Georg Gisze was a prominent Hanseatic merchant who
managed his family's trading office in London. Some sources indicate
the portrait was done for his betrothed who lived in Danzig (Gdansk),
as they probably had never met. German painter Han Holbein
the Younger had a successful career in London, with commissions from
Sir Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Anne Boleyn and as a court painter of
Henry VIII. The painting is now in the Gemäldegalerie in
Berlin. The back of the brown, black and lilac note features
the denomination within guilloche patterns. It is an historic
note from the beginning of the German hyperinflationary
period. We offer this popular note in both circulated and
Uncirculated condition.
Item
PM-DE-100,000M-C
GERMANY 100,000 MARK NOTE,
1922 P83a VF $5.00
Item
PM-DE-100,000M-U
GERMANY 100,000 MARK NOTE,
1922 P83a UNC. $18.00
WEIMAR REPUBLIC COMMEMORATES 3rd
ANNIVERSARY WITH 3 MARK
In 1922 Germany issued a circulating 3 Mark coin commemorating the 3rd
Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution. The denomination,
date and mintmark are on the obverse. A Germanic Eagle and
the legend "
VERFASSUNGSTAG
11. AUGUST 1922" (Constitution day, August
11, 1922) is on the other. The aluminum coin is 28mm aluminum
and 1.55mm thick. The coins
catalog $25 each, but due to a fortunate purchase we can offer them for
substantially less than that.
Item
DE-3M-A GERMANY 3 MARK 1922-A BERLIN MINT
KM29 BU
$5.00
Item
DE-3M-G GERMANY 3 MARK 1922-G KARLSRUHE MINT
KM29 BU
$5.00
Item
DE-3Mx10 10 pieces of GERMANY 3 MARK 1922
KM29, mixed A & G mints BU
$29.50
GERMAN NOTGELD COINS AND PAPER
Notgeld means "emergency money" in German, and generally refers to an
extensive series of locally issued coins and currency produced during
and following World War I. Notgeld was issued in paper, metal
and even porcelain and other materials. Below is a selection
of this fascinating but little known collectible.
WAR
MONEY FROM COBLENZ, GERMANY

During
World War I many communities in Germany issued their own coins called
"Kriegsgeld" which translates as war money. We offer a set of two
Kriegsgeld from the city of Coblenz (now Koblenz) dated 1918.
The iron 10 and 25 Pfennig have the same design. One side has
the city name, arms and the legend "
GULTIG
BIS 1 JAHR NACH
FRIEDENSSCHLUSS" which translates as "Good for 1 Year
after the
conclusion of Peace". The other side has the denomination and
date.
Item
COBLENZ COBLENZ 10 & 25 PFENNIG 1918
WAR MONEY VF
$7.00
METAL
GERMAN NOTGELD COINS

Notgeld
coins were struck for over 600 communities and companies in Germany
between 1916 and 1922, though many are not dated. Most are in
denominated from 5 to 50 Pfennig. Typically the city arms or landmark
is on one side and the denomination is on the other. They
were usually struck in zinc or iron, both of which corrode easily, so
the
coins may be spotted or rusted.
Item DE-METNOTx1 1
GERMAN METAL NOTGELD COIN, F-VF
$3.50
Item DE-METNOTx10 10
DIFFERENT GERMAN METAL NOTGELD COINS, F-VF $35.00
ATTRACTIVE
AND
COLORFUL
GERMAN NOTGELD NOTES

These attractive, colorful small (most less than 4 inches - 90cm long)
were issued by communities throughout Germany during and after World
War I. They quickly became a popular with collectors and by
1921 many
thousand different types were produced. They have a wide
variety of
themes, including fairy tales, local history, monuments, and political
satire. We recently purchased a collection from Europe with
over
16,000 German notgeld notes. The collection
came
packaged in envelopes, each containing 200 notes. We checked
a few
envelopes and found a few duplicates in each. Feel free to order
multiple lots. (Let me know if you get a lot of duplicates - I will
make amends). Most notes are
Uncirculated, Groups of less than 200
notes are also available
Item
PM-DE-NOTx200 200 MOSTLY DIFFERENT GERMAN
NOTGELD
NOTES $149.50
Item
PM-DE-NOTx100 100 DIFFERENT GERMAN
NOTGELD
NOTES $89.50
Item
PM-DE-NOTx25 25
DIFFERENT GERMAN NOTGELD
NOTES, $22.50
Item
PM-DE-NOTx1 1
GERMAN NOTGELD NOTE $1.00
CLICK
HERE to see our exhibit on the coins and notes of the German
Hyperinflation
GERMAN
INFLATION POSTAGE STAMPS
Germany’s post World War I inflation is reflected in their postage
stamps. This set includes 27 different German postage stamps
issued between 1918 to 1923, with values ranging from 10 Pfennig (cost
of a domestic letter in 1918) to 5 Million Mark (a domestic letter cost
4 Million Mark on Oct. 20, 1923). In
order to try to keep up with the soaring rates some stamps were
overprinted with new values. The stamps in this collection
are all original unused stamps however some may be slightly torn or
damaged.
Item
STMP-DE-INFL27 27 DIFFERENT UNUSED GERMAN
POSTAGE STAMPS 1918-1923 $12.00
HISTORIC
1930 YOUNG PLAN BONDS ATTEMPT TO PAY GERMAN WAR
REPARATIONS
After its defeat in World War I, Germany was saddled with heavy war
reparations, the repayment of which contributed to the 1923 German
hyperinflation and helped bring Hitler to power. An attempt
was made in 1924 to restructure the payments, however that quickly
failed. A second attempt was made in 1929. The
proposal was known as the Young Plan. It was named after its
chairman, American industrialist Owen D. Young, who founded the Radio
Corporation of America (RCA) and was Chairman of General
Electric. The Young Plan reduced payments by about
20%, stretched payment out over 58 years, and created the Bank of
International Settlements to facilitate the reparation
payments. One third of the annual reparations were to be paid
by Germany from general revenue, however that payment could be
postponed. Two thirds of the annual payments were to be financed by a
consortium of American banks and were "unconditional". In
1930 bonds were issued various currencies to help implement the
plan. The plan however quickly failed. The stock
market crash of 1929, the start of the Great Depression and the
collapse of international trade made the plan infeasible. As might be
expected, the plan was unpopular with most Germans and Hitler made
repudiation of the war reparations a major element of his
campaigns. He repudiated the debt after becoming Chancellor
in 1933. After Germany's defeat in World War II the payments were again
restructured, and Germany finally paid off the last of its reparation
debt and interest in 2020, 92 years after its defeat in World War
I. We offer ab historic `000 Swiss Francs 1930
Young Plan Bond. The bonds paid 5
1/2% interest. They have texts in German, English and
French. The large sized bonds measure
approximately 11.75" x 16.5" (300 x 420mm) and have been punch
canceled. The Swiss bonds
include a partial sheet of 41 coupons, dating from June 1, 1945 to June
1 1965. They are important but rarely seen financial
instruments.
Item
BND-YOUNG-SWISS 1000 SWISS FRANCS 1930 YOUNG
BOND
VF-cancelled
$7.00

REMEMBERING
THE WAR
WORLD
WAR I REMEMBRANCE COINS FROM CANADA
In 1915 Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae wrote the
immortal poem "In Flanders Fields". The poem refers
to the fields of red poppies that grew between the graves of the
soldiers that died in the Battles of Ypres. The poem first
published anonymously in Great Britain, quickly grew in popularity
throughout the English speaking world. It was used in
propaganda efforts and appeals to sell war bonds and recruit
solders. The red poppy became a widely recognized symbol to
remember soldiers that died in conflicts. In 2015 Canada
marked the 100th anniversary of John McCrea’s famous poem with
circulating commemorative 25 Cent coins. Two versions of the copper-nickel 25 cent coin
were issued, one with a realistic color depiction of a red
poppy. The other features an uncolored poppy. Queen Elizabeth is on the obverses and the coins are Uncirculated.
Item
CA-25c15-COLOR
CANADA 25 CENTS 2015 COLOR POPPY,
UNC. out
Item
CA-25c15-REG
CANADA 25 CENTS 2015 REGULAR (uncolored)
UNC. $1.00
Also see:
WORLD
WAR II COINS & CURRENCY
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