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20 Deutsche Mark
| Issuer | Deutsche Notenbank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1948-1990) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in dark olive-brown and yellow-green tones on a dense guilloche underprint, with the central panel framed by an ornate lathe-work border. The denomination "ZWANZIG DEUTSCHE MARK" is set in large serif lettering at centre, surmounted by the word "BANKNOTE" within a cartouche of fine guilloche scrollwork at the top. To the right, a circular medallion vignette contains the numeral "20" within an elaborate engine-turned rosette, with the issuing authority text and date "BERLIN 1948" rendered in smaller letterpress below the denomination; a second, smaller guilloche rosette bearing "20" appears at lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | P#13a - 6 digit serial # Printer: Goznak, Moscow P#13b - 7 digit serial # Printed in East Germany |
| Comments |
The Deutsche Notenbank was the central bank of the Soviet occupation zone, and this 1948 issue was part of the currency reform that split German monetary systems in two — the Western zones introduced the Deutsche Mark through the Bank deutscher Länder, while the Soviets responded with their own parallel reform days later. This note circulated in what would become the GDR, predating the formal establishment of East Germany by a year.
With just over 12 million printed, the run was modest. Many notes were withdrawn relatively quickly as the East German monetary apparatus consolidated through the 1950s.