100 mark 1980
About This Note
This is a 1980 100 Deutsche Mark banknote (Pick P-34d) from the Deutsche Bundesbank in uncirculated condition, featuring a Renaissance-era male portrait on the obverse and the German Federal Eagle (Bundesadler) on the reverse. The note displays the characteristic blue and beige color scheme with red serial numbering and exhibits the hallmark ornate guilloche patterns typical of high-quality German banknote production. With no visible wear, creases, or tears, this example represents an excellent specimen of West German currency from the final decades before reunification.
Common. The 100 Deutsche Mark note from this series had a substantial print run and was in active circulation throughout the 1980s until German reunification in 1990 and the subsequent transition to the Deutsche Mark's replacement by the Euro in 2002. Examples in uncirculated condition are readily available in the collector market at modest premiums over face value, typically in the $15-40 USD range depending on serial number appeal and exact variety. No specific production figures suggest scarcity, and the denomination was one of the most frequently issued in this series.
Issued during the height of the Cold War era by the Deutsche Bundesbank (the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany), this 100 Mark note represents the economic stability and confidence of West Germany in 1980. The heraldic German eagle (Bundesadler) on the reverse symbolizes the sovereignty and constitutional authority of the Federal Republic, while the Renaissance-era portrait on the obverse reflects the cultural heritage and historical continuity valued by postwar German identity. The 1962 copyright date on the reverse indicates the original design's creation during the early stability of the West German state.
The obverse features a portrait of a bearded male figure in Renaissance-era dress, identifiable as a historical German cultural or political figure, depicted in left-facing profile wearing a characteristic wide-brimmed black hat and ornate neck ruffles. The figure is rendered in grayscale against a blue and beige background filled with intricate guilloche patterns. The reverse displays the Bundesadler (German Federal Eagle), the official heraldic symbol of the Federal Republic of Germany, depicted with spread wings in a commanding central position. Circular emblems/seals flank the eagle on both sides, and the entire composition is framed by ornamental borders and corner denomination numerals. The denomination 'HUNDERT DEUTSCHE MARK' appears on both sides, with the issuer name 'DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK' prominently displayed on the obverse.
{"front":{"100":"100 (denomination numerals in corners)","HUNDERT DEUTSCHE MARK":"One Hundred German Marks","DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK":"German Federal Bank","Banknote":"Banknote","NH2531568W":"Serial number (appears in red on both upper left and lower right)"},"back":{"100":"100 (denomination numerals in multiple corners)","HUNDERT DEUTSCHE MARK":"One Hundred German Marks (appears twice)","© DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK 1962":"© German Federal Bank 1962","VER BANKNOTEN NACH MACHT ODER NACH VERFÄLSCHT...":"Counterfeiting banknotes by force or by counterfeiting or obtaining counterfeit notes and putting them into circulation will be punished with imprisonment of not less than two years (legal warning/criminal statute reference)"}}
This note employs traditional intaglio (copperplate) printing combined with offset lithography, characteristic of German banknote production of this era. The complex guilloche patterns, fine line work visible in the background, and the precise rendering of the portrait and heraldic eagle are hallmarks of intaglio printing's superior anti-counterfeiting capabilities. The note was produced by Bundesdruckerei (German Federal Print Office) or one of the authorized security printers contracted by the Deutsche Bundesbank, using the multi-color printing techniques standard for Deutsche Bundesbank notes of the 1970s-1980s period.
This specific example is identified as Pick P-34d, which indicates it is from the final series of the Deutsche Bundesbank's 100 Mark notes before the Euro conversion. The red serial number (NH2531568W) and red seals are consistent with the standard issue notes of this period. The 1962 copyright date on the reverse indicates the design's origin, though this note was printed in 1980. No special overprints, error varieties, or unusual characteristics are evident in this example. Collectors should note that within the P-34 designation, minor variations in seal color and serial number printing exist; this 'P-34d' designation specifically denotes the red seal variety.
