Paper Money Messages: A Pictorial Perspective - Volume 2 (Notgeld)

This Volume 2 continues the author's intriguing account of paper money, focusing on the German notgeld used for emergency currency in the early 1900s. Notgeld is particularly interesting for the imagery and text used in its design, which will connect the reader to a broad range of historical subjects, such as the hyperinflationary period that struck Germany between 1914 and 1924 and the struggles of the Jewish people in that country and others. The author uses the notgeld to explain the devastation of the German economy when the price of goods increased by the hour and for instance a 1,000,000,000,000-mark note had the value of only 22 cents (U.S.)! Many of the notgeld seen in this book was used by the Nazis for propaganda against the Jews and expressed the anti-Semitism so prevalent in that day. Battles, witches, spirits, Christianity, miracles, and the Catholic Church are some of the many themes expressed by the notgeld artwork and the associated text. The reader will find this abundantly-illustrated book to be rich in history and a rewarding study of paper money.