The Reutergeld

The Reutergeld is one of the most distinctive series in the whole world of German Notgeld — emergency banknotes issued in 1922 by seventy towns and municipalities of Mecklenburg, in northern Germany, united by a single theme: a tribute to the poet Fritz Reuter.

Unlike ordinary Notgeld, which was created to ease the shortage of coin during and after the First World War, the Reutergeld never served as substitute money. From the very beginning it was conceived as a collector's item. The idea came from Reinhold Wust, who promoted and distributed the series through the so-called Reutergesellschaft.

Each town issued a set of three banknotes, with face values of 10, 25 and 50 Pfennig. Since seventy towns took part, a complete collection comprises 210 different banknotes — the exact number of pieces carrying this tag in this collection. The notes were decorated with images and quotations drawn from the work of the Mecklenburg poet Fritz Reuter.

Who was Fritz Reuter?

Fritz Reuter (1810–1874) was a novelist from northern Germany and one of the foremost authors of Low German (Plattdeutsch) literature. He was born in Stavenhagen, in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a small country town where his father served as mayor and magistrate. His enduring popularity across the region is what made the series dedicated to him so beloved among collectors.

A collective work of art

The graphic design of the Reutergeld was entrusted to five artists and architects — Erich Bentrup, Hermann Koenemann, Georg Schütz, Egon Tschirch and Richard Zscheked — working between Schwerin and Rostock. The notes were printed by the Bärensprung court printing house in Schwerin, producing one of the most refined artistic expressions in the entire Notgeld tradition.