Bank.notes

Collection Germany #215

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20 Mark

Germany 1910 1900_1945 VG P-P-40b Needs review ✦ AI 90%
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Front · IMG_6479.jpeg cropped
Back · IMG_6480.jpeg cropped
Pair check: ! check failed checked 2026-05-09T09:55:44.190587
Identity

Where & when

Country Germany
Currency Mark
Denomination 20
Series name Reichsbanknote series
Series year 1910
Issue year 1910
Era 1900_1945
Legal status demonetized
Predecessor currency Gulden
Successor currency Rentenmark
Subjects & design

What's on the note

Front portrait
Reverse subject Geometric guilloche pattern
Watermark Denomination and decorative pattern visible in clear areas
Color palette #8b7355,#d2691e,#2f4f4f
Themes statesman
Language / script Latin (Fraktur)

Front: Imperial German Reichsbanknote issued under Kaiser Wilhelm II. The note features the Imperial German Eagle (Reichsadler) at right within an ornate rosette, with elaborate guilloche patterns at left and bottom corners. The text states this 20 Mark note is payable by the Reichsbank main office in Berlin without legitimation verification to the bearer. Dated Berlin, 21 April 1910, bearing the heading 'Reichsbanknote' in ornate Gothic script and signed by the Reichsbankdirektorium. The serial number E7790582 appears in red on both left and right margins.

Back: Geometric guilloche pattern featuring an elaborate rosette design with interlocking circular motifs in brown and orange ink. The denomination '20' appears prominently at center within concentric circular bands containing repeated text 'ZWANZIG MARK'. The serial number E7790582 is repeated in red at top and bottom. Fine microtext legal warnings appear vertically along both left and right margins regarding counterfeiting penalties.

Production

How it was made

Issuer Reichsbank
Issuer (native) Reichsbank
Printer Reichsdruckerei
Engraver
Material paper
Dimensions (mm) 185x110

Signatures: Reichsbankdirektorium: Three signatures visible but illegible in image

Security features: intaglio,microprint

Geography

Germany in Europe

Germany in Europe. Other countries on the same continent shown in muted grey.

The story

Background & history

This note belongs to the Reichsbanknote series issued by the German Empire's Reichsbank from 1906 to 1914, during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II. These notes were the standard circulating currency of Imperial Germany before World War I. The 1910 issue date places it in the late Wilhelmine period of economic prosperity. Following Germany's defeat in WWI and the hyperinflation of the early 1920s, these notes were demonetized in 1924 with the currency reform that introduced the Reichsmark. The elaborate guilloche work and Gothic typography are characteristic of German banknote design of this period, emphasizing security through complex engraving rather than later technologies.

Catalogue

Collector references

Pick # P-40b
Krause ID
Rarity tier common
Series range 1906-1914
Provenance

How it came to me

Acquired date
Acquired from
Acquired price
Currency
Condition
Grade VG
Serial number F 821147
Serial prefix F
Serial suffix 147

Circulated note with visible wear, soiling, and discoloration. Center fold and edge wear present. Serial numbers and text legible.

Valuation

What it's worth now

$5–$15
Type default range $10–$25
Valuation history (1)
datelowhighcurrencysourcenote
2026-05-08 17:19:57 5.0 15.0 USD ai from claude-sonnet-4-5
Technical

History & extractions

AI extractions (3)
research:anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-09 09:38:18
status: error · step 10
research:openai · gpt-4o 2026-05-09 00:20:57
status: ok · step 10 · $0.0245 · 5761↓ + 1013↑ tokens
anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-08 17:19:57
status: ok · step 1 · $0.0363 · 6328↓ + 1157↑ tokens
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