Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Weimar Republic
Taler Notgeld
3 Mark
威瑪共和國
塔勒市緊急貨幣
3馬克
Item number: A1205
Year: AD 1921
Material: Aluminum
Size: 30.2 x 30.2 x 1.4 mm
Weight: 2.4 g
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024
This is an emergency currency, known as “Notgeld,” issued by the city of Taler in Saxony province under the Weimar Republic, following the end of World War I. It was created to address the severe hyperinflation that swept through Germany in the post-war period. The coin is made of aluminum, reflecting the scarcity of traditional materials at the time.
The obverse of the coin features a horse-mounted hunter holding a spear and handling the reins. Surrounding the hunter are a bat, an owl, a curlew, and two hunting dogs. Both sides of the coin are adorned with wreath motifs. The upper edge is inscribed with “THALE A. HARZ,” representing the full German name of the city of Thale, while the lower edge displays the year of issue, “1921.”
The reverse of the coin is decorated with an ornate coat of arms. The upper edge is inscribed with “THALER.GELD,” meaning “Taler Coin,” while the denomination “3 MARK” is marked inside rectangular boxes aligned on both the left and right sides. Along the lower edge is an arched inscription, “ZUR ERINNERUNG AN DIE STADTWERUNG,” which translates to “In memory of becoming a city.”
During World War I, Germany faced a shortage of essential metals such as gold, silver, copper, and nickel for coin minting. As a result, notgeld made from paper, fabric, or other metals began to circulate domestically. Issuers of these notgelds were not limited to the central bank; local governments, businesses, and even social organisations all produced their own versions. Following Germany’s defeat in World War I, the newly established Weimar Republic was burdened with massive reparations under the Treaty of Versailles. Additionally, the German mark had been decoupled from gold during the war, leading to rampant inflation. As a result, notgelds remained widely relied upon throughout Germany as the country continued to grapple with severe inflation.
It was not until AD 1924 that the Weimar Republic gradually stabilised the German economy by issuing the Rentenmark and later the Reichsmark, both of which were pegged to gold. This brought an end to the widespread use of notgelds. However, following the end of World War II, Germany briefly resumed the use of notgelds during the post-war economic recovery.