Notgeld Notes - What Are They

Notgeld is German for "Emergency Money".
During the early 20th century special money was issued in several countries, but primarily Germany and Austria to cater for economic crisis situations. There was a shortage of small change, due to the war efforts and the need for metal going that way rather than for coinage. This emergency money was not issued by the central bank (Reichsbank), but by various other institutions, e.g. town savings banks, municipalities, private and state-owned firms. It was therefore not a legal tender but rather a mutually accepted means of payment, in particular location or site.
Notgeld was mainly issued in the form of (paper) banknotes. Sometimes other forms were used, as well: coins, leather, silk, linen, stamps, aluminium foil, coal and all sorts of re-used paper and carton material (e.g. playing cards).

The first large issue of Notgeld started during World War I. Due to the Inflation - caused by the cost of the war - the value of the material that a coin was minted from was higher than its denomination. Many institutions started to hoard coins. Additionally the metals used to mint coins were needed for the production of war supplies. This caused a massive shortage, which was remedied by issuing banknotes in small denominations.
As these banknotes were very colorful, they soon became a target for collectors. As the issuing bodies realised this demand they continued to issue these notes beyond their economic necessity up till 1922.

In 1922 inflation started to get out of control. Until 1923 the value of the mark deteriorated faster and faster. New money in higher denominations was issued constantly. The central bank could not cope with the logistics of the necessary supply of money and Notgeld (Papiermark) was issued again - this time in denominations of thousands, millions and billions of mark.

Photo and text courtesy of Wikipedia

How To Purchase Ancient Coins

I published the following article on the web about 2-3 years ago. I think it is still pretty accurate so I am sharing once again.

Hi, my name is Jerry and I have been buying ancient coins for a few years and I am sharing with you the best way to purchase ancient coins based on my experiences. First, I will be terribly honest and state that I have been ripped off many times with numerous false promises. I will attempt to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered. Ok, let's get started.(1) Where to purchase ancient coins? Typically, most buyers purchase ancient coins from ebay. Ancient Roman coins are the most plentiful. My experience has been that one will encounter the good and the bad on eBay. There will be many false promises including the "Gold Found" vendors. I know of NO ONE who has ever found gold in a coin lot. The statement is highly misleading and I question the veracity of anyone who makes such statements. Gold does not encrust as bronze does and gold leaps out at the digger like the sun in the sky and the digger is not about to sell the coin for such a cheap price. I have purchased thousands of Roman coins from various vendors and I have NEVER found gold. (2) What should I expect for my dollar on eBay? The lure of buying a wonderful 1700- year- old coin for a dollar is incredibly appealing to the new buyer. I bought hundreds of ancient coins for a dollar each before realizing that I am going to get what I pay for. My experience has been that I will receive genuine Roman coins for a dollar per coin but for the most part I will receive a terribly encrusted, broken or slick (no image to speak of) roman coin. I am promised that I will receive cleaning instructions which I do receive but often the directions are as simple as a sheet of paper with information stating "soak in distilled water until clean" .. Cleaning encrusted coins is not that simple and that is another topic entirely. I have found that soaking Roman coins in distilled water is a long laborious task and not worth the time involved. (3) Roman coins 101. My experience has been that the typical lot of Roman coins or Greek coins would contain about 20-25% attributable coins. By attributable coins, I mean coins which contain images thar are clear enough to enable one to identify the emperor or imagery. Simply stated the coin can be identified as to date and source. Greek coins have very little "text" or legend in contrast to Roman coins.(4) Purchasing your Roman or Greek coins. After cleaning thousands of dollar coins I have learned that I prefer to pay twice the amount and receive a better quality coin. I should state at this point that when I refer to prices I am speaking of Roman coins only. The Greek coins are a different animal in terms of cost. In the dollar Roman lots I have received everything from batches which would run as high as 33% attributable to as low as 10%. The lower percentage coins are called "floor sweepings".. I would prefer to pay twice as much per coin and run the percentage up to 75%. When one pays 1.50 to 3.50 per Roman coin then one should expect what are called "premium coins".. In the long run, one receives much more for the money when purchasing the premium coins. (5) Before making a purchase. Before purchasing I suggest the following: Contact the dealer and ask what kind of attribution percentage one can expect from the coins he/she is selling. Next, ask if he/she has a "no questions asked" return policy. If you feel assured and take the plunge then be sure and talk with the dealer if you should get coins of lesser quality than you discussed prior to the purchase. Dealers are terribly afraid of bad input on eBay and wish to please you. The input from buyers makes or breaks an eBay dealer.(6) Finally, do I really want to clean encrusted coins? I love to clean encrusted Roman coins and Greek coins. I have worked at my technique for years and have developed methods that makes the cleaning much simpler for me. If you are unsure, be sure and visit my ancient coin site where you can purchase a genuine 1700 year old roman coin for as little 5 dollars!! As stated, I have coins for 5 dollars, but I also have Roman coins which sell for 50 dollars and more. Please take a look at my site and consider ordering a cleaned coin to see if it holds your interest. My web site URL is as follows: www.ancinetcoinstore.com I hope you have enjoyed our visit and I look forward to your visit to my ancient coin store!

The Celator Welcomes New Subscribers

The Celator is a great publication for the ancient coin enthusiast. Please take a look at the information I borrowed from their site. Both Wayne and Kerry welcome all.

The term "Celator" (we pronounce it sell-a-tore) is an anglicized version of the Latin word Caelator, which was a term used in ancient times to describe artists who worked in bas relief. This included gem carvers, and coin die engravers, as well as a great variety of metalworkers. The Celator is dedicated to those artists who have left us with indelible impressions of the Classical era in their miniature art. Articles in The Celator range from Greek and Roman coinage to the coinage of their contemporaries and of their successors. Each issue includes from three to five articles, several regular columns by well known antiquarians, market news, commentary, information about people in the hobby, a professional directory of dealers, and a calendar of events. The general tone of the publication is one not of intense scholarship, although scholarly articles do appear from time to time, but rather of a relaxed forum. The Celator offers something for everyone, and serves as the focal point of the ancient coin collecting hobby.

Click to visit the subscription page: http://www.vcoins.com/celator

Schematics For My .99 Cent Coin Zapper

Important Post From Wayne Sayles, ACCG Executive Director

Dear Readers: I believe the following article is very important to all of us. Please take the time to read.

Fellow antiquarians;January 25th, 2007 may well go down in the annals of numismatichistory as the Pearl Harbor of the Cultural Property War. When theU.S. Department of State posted a notice in the Federal Register thatrenewal of the import restrictions on cultural property from Cypruswould be considered, Peter K. Tompa (Ancient Coin Collectors GuildPresident) addressed the following concern in a letter to the Bureauof Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). "It is unclear from thenotice whether new import restrictions on coins will be considered inthe context of this hearing to determine whether current restrictionson other archaeological and ethnological artifacts will be extended."Coins had been exempted from restrictions in the initial agreementfive years ago. A reply from the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretaryof State at ECA stated that "the Department anticipates considerationof extension of the agreement as it currently exists with respect tothe categories of material." In other words, coins were not added tothe list of restricted items being considered. In my capacity as ACCG Executive Director, I then sent a letter to theCultural Property Advisory Committee stating that since coins were notto be included, the ACCG would not take a position on the request andwould not appear in person to comment during the public hearing. Inother words, a quid pro quo. I was not advised of any change inposition. On January 26th, the day after the public hearing, ACCGreceived the following notice from ECA. "On 25 and 26 January, 2007,the Cultural Property Advisory Committee met to consider extending thebilateral agreement between the Government of the United States andthe Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Shortly before thatmeeting, Cyprus submitted a request through normal diplomatic channelsto amend the Designated List of its cultural materials for whichimportation is already restricted. The proposal is to include in theDesignated List coins minted and found in Cyprus that are more than250 years old."This action is a shocking disappointment. It further undermines ACCGconfidence in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that haseroded over two years of struggling with constant stonewalling anddepartmental secrecy. Sandbagging a legitimate nonprofit advocacygroup, to circumvent an effective defense of its position, is a tacticthat sinks to a level that is intolerable. In an effort to diffuse the inevitable outrage, ECA has reopened thewindow for comment to run through the close of business on Monday,February 6. If ever there was cause for comment, it is now. Thisrequest, if approved, will not only affect ancient coins from Cyprus,but virtually all Medieval and early modern coins. Worse,restrictions would set an irreversible precedent. The aggression ofcultural property nationalists knows no limits and there is no roomleft in the collecting world for complacency. Every collector simplymust take the time to comment. The best method is by Fax to202-453-8803. Address your comments to Mr. Jay I. Kislak, Chairman,Cultural Property Advisory Committee. Please be specific and bepolite. The ACCG provides a free online Fax service for this purposeat http://accg.us/ If you avail yourself of that service, a choice ofsample letters will be offered or you can create your own text in anystandard browser. The process is fast, easy and meaningful. Our goal for this campaign is 1,000 individual comments to CPAC. Wewill need every single collector's cooperation. If you can't figureout how to comment or what to say, send a note to me athttp://us.f387.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=director%40accg.us for suggestions.Become an activist, spread the word and encourage all of your friendsto comment. This is not a practice drill.With best regards and hope for the future of our hobby,WayneWayne G. SaylesExecutive Director, ACCGhttp://us.f387.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=director%40accg.us

Ancient Coin Denominations And Values

The following information is courtesy of Alfredo at "Imperial Coins and Artifacts." Alfredo, thank you very much my friend. Please click on the Following URL to view: http://tinyurl.com/2wtedm

Zap With Aluminum Foil Wrap

Mix a 5% solution of SC (5 grams of sodium carbonate in 100ml of
deionized water) and wrap the coin in a double layer pocket of
aluminum foil, add aportion of the solution inside the wrapping and
submerge this into a container with the rest of the solution. Let this
set for about 3 days then check the progress. The aluminum foil will
deteriorate since it is acting as your sacrificial anode in the
process. You can continue this process indefinitely until the coin is
clean since it is a very mild technique.
I have had success with this method on many coins, but others still
needed to be zapped even after this process. However they may not have
if I were more patient and continued the process longer then 3
days...LOL :)
This may be useful for those who want to try another alternative
method of cleaning and those that are not quite ready to zap a coin.
Measurements:
5 grams (1 heaping teaspoon)
100ml = Half cup or about 3.5 Fluid Ounces
Method Source:
The Archaeologist's Manual for Conservation A Guide to Non-Toxic,
Minimal Intervention Artifact Stabilization
Rodgers, Bradley A.
2004, 220 p., Soft cover
ISBN: 0-306-48467-6
-Shawn (aka The Lone Knight)