10 pfennig 1916

Common. eBay market data shows VF examples selling for approximately $22.90 (2016) with catalog values in the $20-30 range for VF condition, indicating steady but modest collector demand. The note is not from a short-lived issuer—Danzig continued minting emergency currency throughout WWI—and no print-run restrictions are known. The relatively affordable pricing at all grade levels and consistent availability in the secondary market confirms this is a commonly encountered note among Danzig collectors.

This emergency pfennig note was issued by Danzig's municipal savings bank during the final years of World War I, when currency shortages prompted local authorities to issue supplementary small-denomination currency. The text explicitly states this served as a sight-payable promissory note backed by the city's credit, redeemable at the municipal savings bank within one month of public notice. The December 1916 date places this during Germany's continued war effort, when such local currency issues became increasingly common as the broader economy faced liquidity pressures.

The obverse features a formal municipal document layout with black text on a cream-beige background accented by decorative blue-green ornamental borders running vertically along both sides. The central element is the circular official seal of the City of Danzig, displaying the city's coat of arms, positioned prominently in the middle of the note. The design emphasizes the note's character as an official municipal financial instrument rather than traditional currency, with extensive German legal text explaining the redemption terms and validity period. Handwritten signatures of municipal officials appear below the printed text, serving as authorization. The reverse is largely blank except for another impression of the official seal in the lower center area, following the minimalist approach typical of emergency currency from this period.

FRONT: Denomination and Promise: '10 (zehn) Pfennig' (10 (ten) Pfennig). Main redemption text: 'zahle die städtische Sparkasse zu Danzig gegen diese statt der Barzahlung dienende auf Sicht zahlbare Diahanweisung aus unserem Guthaben an den Überbringer' (The municipal savings bank of Danzig pays against this cash payment serving instead of the sight-payable promissory note from our credit to the bearer). Validity clause: 'Diese Diahanweisung verliert ihre Gültigkeit wenn sie nicht innerhalb eines Monats nach erfolgter öffentlicher Aufforderung des Präsidats zur Einlösung bei der städtischen Sparkasse zu Danzig eingeleitet wird' (This promissory note loses its validity if not submitted within one month after the president's public request for redemption at the municipal savings bank of Danzig). Date and issuer: 'Danzig, den 9. Dezember 1916' (Danzig, December 9, 1916) and 'Der Magistrat der Stadt Danzig' (The Magistrate of the City of Danzig). Serial number: 'No 703740'. BACK: Blank with official seal impression only.

Letterpress printing with the primary text and denomination rendered in black and dark blue inks on a blue-tinted underprint base (as documented by RealBanknotes reference data noting 'Black on blue underprint'). The decorative ornamental borders were similarly produced via letterpress. The official seals were impressed rather than printed, showing the characteristic depth and detail of genuine seal impressions. Handwritten signatures were added after printing, as was standard practice for municipal authorization documents of this era.

This specific example is Pick P-5, the 10 Pfennig variety. The serial number 703740 is noted on the obverse. The issue date of December 9, 1916 corresponds to the documented issue date for this Pick number. The handwritten signatures are present and show individual variation typical of manuscript authorization marks on municipal notes, but no significant printing varieties (such as watermark variants, overprints, or printer marks distinguishing major types) are apparent in this example. The PMG population report indicates P-5 is the base Pick number with no recorded significant variants for this denomination, unlike the higher-value Gulden notes which show numerous subvarieties (indicated by suffixes such as 's', 'cts', and 'p').