50 reichsmark 1929

Common. The eBay sales data provided shows consistent, frequent trading of this note across multiple condition grades, with UNC examples selling in the $12-34 range historically and VF examples regularly achieving $1-7. The note was issued in significant quantities during the brief remaining years of the Reichsbank's independent operation, and examples remain readily available in the collector market. Print runs for this denomination were substantial, and no evidence of recalls, short-lived production periods, or scarcity factors exists for Pick P-182a.

This note was issued on March 30, 1933, precisely the moment Adolf Hitler assumed full dictatorial powers in Germany, making it a historically significant artifact bridging the Weimar Republic and the Nazi regime. The reverse depicts Mercury alongside allegorical figures representing Law and Literature, symbols reflecting the rational democratic values of the Weimar Constitution, even as this very date marked the Enabling Act that would dismantle those institutions. The note's design and security features, including the 'Kreuz-Iris' printing technique noted in catalog references, represent the sophisticated currency engineering of the late Weimar period before wartime currency degradation.

The obverse features David Hansemann (1790-1864), a prominent Prussian statesman and economist, depicted as an elderly bearded gentleman in formal 19th-century attire, positioned in profile facing right within an ornate circular frame. The composition includes a cityscape with architectural spires visible at the top center, symbolic of German civic achievement. The reverse displays a classical allegorical design with two female figures—Justice (left) holding scales and Knowledge/Wisdom (right) holding a book—flanking a central circular medallion containing a male portrait (likely Mercury, the god of commerce and intellect). The entire design employs fine line engraving with radiating line patterns that create visual depth and serve as anti-counterfeiting elements. The dominant color palette of green, tan, beige, and black creates a dignified, conservative aesthetic typical of high-denomination Weimar currency.

FRONT: 'Reichsbanknote' (Reichsbank note) | '50' (denomination) | 'Ausgebeben auf Grund des Gesetzes vom 30. August 1924' (Issued under the law of August 30, 1924 [Dawes Plan legislation]) | 'Berlin, den 30. März 1933' (Berlin, March 30, 1933) | 'Reichskanzler' (Reich Chancellor) | Serial number 'A·29223500' (appears twice). BACK: '50' (denomination) | 'Reichsmark' (Reichsmark) | Serial number 'A·29223500' (appears twice) | 'WER BANKNOTEN NACHAHMT ODER VERFÄLSCHT WIRD MIT ZUCHTHAUS NICHT UNTER ZWEI JAHREN BESTRAFT' (Whoever counterfeits or forges banknotes will be punished with imprisonment for not less than two years).

Steel plate intaglio (engraved line printing) using the 'Kreuz-Iris' technique, a specialized German security printing method employed until 1940-1941 for color transition effects in the underprint that creates subtle gradations difficult to reproduce photographically or via scanning. The fine line work, geometric background patterns, and radiating line designs visible throughout both sides are characteristic of German master engraving from this period. The Reichsbank employed the Giesecke & Devrient company and similar state security printers for these high-value denominations.

The serial number prefix 'A' indicates a first series printing. The specific variety here is the 1933 issue (issued March 30, 1933) as opposed to the 1929 varieties, though both are cataloged under the same Pick number. The note exhibits the 'Kreuz-Iris' printing technique noted in external references as standard for this design until 1940-1941. Varieties of this note are known both with and without the 'Kreuz-Iris' printing, though both are common and not typically distinguished in pricing. The 7-digit serial number 'A·29223500' is a standard format for this issue period. No major recognized varieties (different signatures, dates, or overprints) appear to apply to this specific Pick designation.