Producers – Graphic Designers and Printing houses

One of the most important characteristics of emergency money is its regional character, reflected not only by the issuers but also in the producers of the emergency notes. They are as diverse as the emergency money itself. The printers mostly came from the location or region of the issuer. Some printers also produced emergency notes nationwide.

In principle, the banknotes were of a lower quality in terms of material, security features and printing than imperial banknotes, most of which were produced in the Reichsdruckerei (imperial printing house). No special banknote or security paper was used. Mostly existing materials such as paper or cardboard were used, on occasion also fabrics. Especially in the case of small change bills of the war years, cardboard in the size and shape of coins was used to inspire confidence in the currency.

The design and substrate often depended on the issuer. Banks used already existing cheque forms, which received the necessary information by means of overprints, stamps or in handwritten form. The emergency cash issuances by companies were either designed specifically or the empty backs of headed business paper were used, e.g. pay slips, invoices or advertising brochures.

Authorities, however, often had emergency money produced for themselves or used notes that were no longer issued due to overprinting. They could either be their own emergency bills, but also imperial banknotes.

In the few larger printing houses that produced nationwide, the bills were identical and differed only in formal information: At the printing houses Gebrüder Parcus, Munich, or J. P. Himmer, Augsburg, bills of small change were produced in this way, at Carl Gerber, Munich, large denomination bills.

The printing house Schwarz in Lindenberg in the Allgäu region specialised in the production of “series notes”. In cooperation with the sculptor Heinz Schiestl (1867-1940), series notes were designed and produced for 57 locations throughout Germany.