Danzig gulden
| |||||
| Unit | |||||
| Plural | Gulden | ||||
| Denominations | |||||
| Subunit | |||||
| 1⁄100 | Pfennig | ||||
| Plural | |||||
| Pfennig | Pfennig | ||||
| Banknotes | 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 Gulden | ||||
| Coins | 1, 2, 5, 10 Pfennig 1⁄2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 Gulden | ||||
| Demographics | |||||
| User(s) | Free City of Danzig | ||||
| Issuance | |||||
| Central bank | Bank of Danzig | ||||
| This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete. | |||||
The gulden, divided into 100 Pfennig, was the currency of the Free City of Danzig from 1923 to 1939.
History
[edit]From 1914 to 1923, Danzig used the German Papiermark and issued several local 'emergency notes'. Inflation during 1922–23 averaged roughly 2,440% per month.[1] In July 1923 it was announced that a new and independent currency (the gulden) was being established with the approval of the League of Nations finance committee to replace the German mark.[2] The gulden was introduced at a value of 25 gulden = 1 pound sterling, or 9.6d sterling per gulden.[2][3]
Incorporation into Nazi Germany
[edit]Danzig, separated from Germany after World War I, was annexed by Nazi Germany on 1 September 1939, the day the invasion of Poland had begun[4] On the same day reichsmark coins and notes were declared legal tender alongside the Danzig gulden, with 1 gulden being equal to 70 reichspfennig (0.70 reichsmark).[5] This was a favourable exchange rate for inhabitants of Danzig, since the actual exchange rate was around 47 reichspfennig per gulden. To prevent abuse on 7 September the import of gulden coins and notes into the territory of the former free city was prohibited.[6] Bank assets were however converted at the market rate of 47 reichspfennig per gulden.[7]
With effect on 7 September 1939, coins of 1 and 2 pfennige became legal tender throughout Nazi Germany as 1 and 2 reichspfennige, and would remain in circulation until November 1940. On 30 September the reichsmark became the sole currency on the territory of the former free city. Notes and coins of 5 and 10 gulden were withdrawn that day and could be exchanged for reichsmarks until 15 October. Coins of 5 and 10 pfennig and 1⁄2 and 1 gulden remained in circulation until 25 June 1940 and were redeemed until 25 July.[citation needed]
Coins
[edit]The first series of coins was issued in 1923, followed by a second in 1932. Coins were issued in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 pfennige and 1⁄2, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 gulden.
The 25-gulden coins were minted in gold. Produced in very small numbers in 1923 (1,000) and 1930 (4,000), the latter date's issue was only released as a few presentation pieces. As part of the 1923 series are 200 proof coins and, while available to collectors, are very expensive.[8] The 1930 issue was essentially unobtainable until a large number appeared in the 1990s, apparently released from a Russian treasury where they had been stored since their capture at the end of World War II.[9]
| First series (1923)[10] | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Technical parameters | Description | Date of | |||||||||||
| Diameter | Mass | Composition | Edge | Obverse | Reverse | quantity minted | minting | issue | withdrawal | lapse | |||||
|
1 pfennig | 17 mm | 1.67 g | 95% Cu, 4% Sn, 1% Zn |
Plain | Value, country name "Danzig" |
Year, Danzig coat of arms |
11,500,000 | 1923–1937 | 18 December 1923[11] | 1 November 1940[12] | 30 November 1940[12] | |||
|
2 pfennige | 19.5 mm | 2.5 g | 3,250,000 | 1923–1937 | ||||||||||
|
5 pfennige | 17.5 mm | 2.0 g | 75% Cu, 25% Ni |
Plain | Value, country name "Danzig" |
Year, Danzig coat of arms |
4,000,000 | 1923, 1928 | 18 December 1923[11] | 1 October 1932[11] | ? | |||
|
10 pfennige | 21.5 mm | 4.0 g | Value, country name "Freie Stadt Danzig" |
5,000,000 | 1923 | |||||||||
|
1⁄2 gulden | 19.5 mm | 2.5 g | 75% Ag, 25% Cu |
1/2, 1 Reeded. 2,5 Plain[13] | Value, country name "Freie Stadt Danzig", coat of arms |
cog | 1,400,000 | 1923, 1927 | 1 April 1932[11] | |||||
| 1 gulden | 23.5 mm | 5.0 g | Value, country name "Freie Stadt Danzig", cog |
Coat of arms held by two lions | 3,500,500 | 1923 | |||||||||
|
2 gulden | 26.5 mm | 10.0 g | 1,250,000 | |||||||||||
|
5 gulden | 35.0 mm | 25.0 g | Value, country name "Freie Stadt Danzig", St. Mary's Church |
860,500 | 1923, 1927 | |||||||||
| These images are to scale at 2.5 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the coin specification table. | |||||||||||||||
Banknotes
[edit]The first Danzig gulden banknotes were issued by the Danzig Central Finance Department and dated 22 October 1923 with a second issue dated 1 November 1923.[14] Denominations for both series included 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50-pfennige notes,[14] as well as 1, 2, and 5 gulden.[14] In addition, the first issue contained 10 and 25-gulden notes,[15] and the second issue contained 50 and 100-gulden notes.[16] The Bank of Danzig was capitalized with £300,000 on 5 February 1924 and officially opened on 17 March 1924.[3] The Bank of Danzig issued four series of gulden (1924, 1928–30, 1931–32, and 1937–38) with an initial issue date of 10 February 1924.[16]
| Issued by | Issue | Value | Image | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danzig Central Finance Department | 1923 first series | 1 pfennig | ||
| 2 pfennige | ||||
| 5 pfennige | ||||
| 10 pfennige | ||||
| 25 pfennige | ||||
| 50 pfennige | ||||
| 1 gulden | ||||
| 2 gulden | ||||
| 5 gulden | ||||
| 10 gulden | ||||
| 25 gulden | ||||
| 1923 second series | 1 pfennig | |||
| 2 pfennige | ||||
| 5 pfennige | ||||
| 10 pfennige | ||||
| 25 pfennige | ||||
| 50 pfennige | ||||
| 1 gulden | ||||
| 2 gulden | ||||
| 5 gulden | ||||
| 50 gulden | ||||
| 100 gulden | ||||
| Bank of Danzig | 1924 | 10 gulden | ||
| 25 gulden | ||||
| 100 gulden | ||||
| 500 gulden | Zeughaus (arsenal) | |||
| 1,000 gulden | City Hall | |||
| 1928–30 | 10 gulden | Artus Court | ||
| 25 gulden | St. Mary's Church | |||
| 1931–32 | 20 gulden | Stockturm (local tower) part of Golden Gate (Gdańsk) Neptune | ||
| 25 gulden | St. Mary's Church | |||
| 100 gulden | Motława River dock scene | |||
| 1937–38 | 20 gulden | Artus Court | ||
| 50 gulden | Vorlaubenhaus |
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]
- ^ McGuire 2013, p. 48.
- ^ a b "Danzig to Establish New Currency System". The New York Times. 20 July 1923. p. 3 – via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851–2010).
- ^ a b Mason 1946, p. 74.
- ^ Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. "ÖNB-ALEX – Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I 1867–1945". onb.ac.at.
- ^ Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. "ÖNB-ALEX – Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I 1867–1945". onb.ac.at.
- ^ Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. "ÖNB-ALEX – Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I 1867–1945". onb.ac.at.
- ^ "Danziger Geld im 20. Jahrhundert". ostsee-urlaub-polen.de. Archived from the original on 2014-05-22.
- ^ Statue of Neptune basis of design on Danzig gold 25-gulden coins issued between two world wars
- ^ A huge portion of Hitler's gold was already taken in 1945
- ^ Schön G. and Schön G.: Welt Münzkatalog, 20. & 21. Jahrhundert, 1900–2010, München 2010, Battenberg Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86646-036-2
- ^ a b c d Kamiński Cz.: Ilustrowany katalog monet polskich 1916–1991, Warsaw 1992, KAW. ISBN 83-03-00041-1
- ^ a b Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. "ÖNB-ALEX – Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I 1867–1945". onb.ac.at.
- ^ Coins from the City of Danzig
- ^ a b c Cuhaj 2010, pp. 430–31.
- ^ Cuhaj 2010, p. 430.
- ^ a b Cuhaj 2010, p. 431.
Sources
[edit]- Cuhaj, George S., ed. (2010). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money General Issues (1368–1960) (13 ed.). Krause. ISBN 978-1-4402-1293-2.[permanent dead link]
- Mason, John B. (1946). The Danzig Dilemma – A Study in Peacemaking by Compromise. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804724449.
- McGuire, Shayne (2013). The Silver Bull Market: Investing in the Other Gold. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-61514-0.
