Description

1920 Germany Augustenburg 1 Mark Notgeld – Danish Border PCGS 45 XF Rare Design

Offered here is a visually captivating 1920 1 Mark Notgeld note from Augustenburg, a village located in Danish Nordschleswig, issued during the uncertain aftermath of World War I. Graded PCGS Choice Extremely Fine 45, this emergency issue—cataloged as G/M 54.1b, L-52a—features a serial number (105002) and the rarely seen "Irregularly Dotted Sky" variety.

This piece is a product of the Weimar Republic’s notgeld era, when hundreds of local municipalities across Germany issued emergency money due to widespread currency shortages. In regions like Augustenburg, such issues took on added cultural significance due to territorial disputes following the Treaty of Versailles and the Schleswig plebiscites of 1920, which returned parts of northern Schleswig to Denmark.

Design and Features:

Obverse:

At the center stands a detailed illustration of Augustenburg’s Fleckenskollegium (the local town hall), framed by stylized red trees and a dotted sky—this particular version being the irregularly dotted variety, sought after by collectors.
Bilingual text in German (left) and Danish (right) confirms the note’s legal use until August 1, 1920, highlighting the region's contested identity.
The top banner is adorned with Danish flags and “1 M” denominations at either end.
Dated April 8, 1920, and bearing multiple printed signatures from local officials.

Reverse:

Features a bold, stylized bell design ringed with the inscription: "Arbeiten und nicht verzweifeln" ("Work and do not despair"), a common motivational phrase used in post-war notgeld imagery.
The border consists of colorful, interlocked geometric designs in red, blue, and tan, exemplifying the folk-art stylization of northern German municipal notgeld.

Historical Significance:

This note captures a poignant moment in European history—the 1920 Schleswig plebiscite, in which Danish-speaking communities in northern Germany voted on national affiliation. Augustenburg, with its strong Danish cultural identity, issued this notgeld with bilingual inscriptions as both a functional emergency note and a symbolic political statement. The note served not only as a stand-in for official currency, but also as an emblem of local identity and resilience in a fractured postwar landscape.

Collector's Value:

This PCGS-certified Choice XF 45 specimen is both scarce and historically rich, representing a unique fusion of numismatics and geopolitics. The bilingual text, Danish iconography, and artistic flourishes—especially the irregularly dotted sky variant—make this note especially desirable among notgeld specialists, regional historians, and collectors focused on borderland monetary issues. A charming and culturally significant addition to any advanced notgeld or Weimar-era collection.