Notgeld: WW Era

 

Notgeld: WW time emergency money... and, even in those times, people had a sense of humor, to come out with money depicting scenes such as the above one.

Featured: An example of Notgeld (emergency money) from Germany, specifically from the town of Papenburg. Notgeld was used during periods of economic instability, particularly in the early 20th century, such as during or after World War I and during the hyperinflation of the 1920s.

Key Features of the Image:

1. Denomination:

   • The note is marked with "75 Pfennig," which indicates its value.

2. Artwork and Humor:

   • Notgeld often featured unique and sometimes humorous artwork, as seen here.
   • This particular note illustrates a scene likely intended to be satirical or reflective of social or economic conditions of the time.

3. Text and Context:

   • The text at the bottom is in Low German ("Plattdeutsch"), a regional dialect. It roughly translates to: "The money must be taken from the people. You can't shake it from the trees."
   • This likely comments on taxation or economic hardship.

4. Historical Context:

   • Issued in Papenburg in 1921, this aligns with the period when local municipalities or businesses issued Notgeld due to shortages of official currency.
   • Notgeld often became collectible due to its artistic and regional significance.

Additional Background on Notgeld:

• Materials: While some Notgeld was paper-based, others were made of materials like metal, porcelain, or even fabric.
• Designs: They often featured local landmarks, folklore, or political commentary.

This specific note from Papenburg reflects the creative and practical approaches communities took to cope with economic crises while also providing a fascinating glimpse into local culture and humor of the time.

 

We first came to know about phone cards when I came abroad back in 1997 for a short while, and then in year 2002. At that time , mobiles were not very popular, and, there were many phone booths everywhere, from where we could call our friends and relatives.

These are prepaid telephone cards, used to access public telecommunication services by inserting them into compatible payphones.

The phone cards, in their varying designs, would come out regularly, and, occasionally we would have 'jigsaw' kind of cards, as depicted below.


Some of the cards are from UAE, some from China and around the world. If you see closely, they are like a jigsaw, each of 4(butterfly) or 6(tiger) cards and so on.

Since then, telephone cards have been deemed obsolete with mobile phones taking over, yet, they make a fascinating hobby, just like matchbox labels and the like. As time goes by, they will continue to get rarer.

#telephonecards #hobby #jigsaw #cards

 

Currency Notes :

Denomination: One Dirham (1 AED).

Issuer: This note was issued by the United Arab Emirates Currency Board, which was responsible for issuing the UAE’s currency before the Central Bank of the UAE was established.

Design Highlights (Front Side):

It depicts significant landmarks, with intricate artwork showcasing the cultural and architectural elements of the UAE.

The text is written in Arabic, with the denomination and other details visible.

Design Highlights (Back Side):

The back features more designs with the denomination written in English.

The background illustrates an important architectural or symbolic representation of UAE culture.

Historical Relevance:

Such notes were issued in the earlier phase of UAE's currency history, potentially between the late 1970s and early 1980s.

These notes are no longer in circulation but hold historical and collector value.