10 marks

The category of Großnotgelds, large substitute money, characteristic of the third period in the history of German substitute money (1918–1921), includes bills with a value from 1 to 100 marks. The increasing denominations of subsequent issues resulted from inflation. Unfortunately, the current production of means of payment was not able to meet the constantly growing demand and monetary circulation was in danger of collapse. Local administrations were therefore given permission to print bills of 5, 10 and 20 marks. This was done at the express and unprecedented request of the Reichsbank. During World War I, when the first substitute money appeared, the central authorities only tolerated them, never giving official consent for their production. The Kołobrzeg magistrate introduced bills in denominations of 5 and 10 marks with rather poor graphics, continuing the simple style of those used in 1914–1921 small substitute money (Kleingeldscheine), which initially contained only the minimum information needed by the user. However, one of the basic elements was the seal of the institution or person assuming the obligation to purchase the bill. In the case of Kołobrzeg issues, it was either the magistrate, whose two types of seals can be found on 5-mark bills, or the municipal treasury, which signed 10-mark bills. Here, there was a novelty under print – from green to olive on 5-mark bills and from red-violet to brown-orange on 10-mark bills – imitating the guilloche pattern common on banknotes, making them difficult to counterfeit. It appears in conjunction with the city coat of arms, which was intended to be in the centre of the bill. However, it is always shifted up or down and cut in half due to an error in the layout of the printing sheet. Mieszko Pawłowski