View source for Reichsmark

{{Short description|Currency of Germany from 1924 to 1945}}
{{redirect|ℛℳ|other uses of "RM"|RM (disambiguation)}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox currency
| currency_name = Reichsmark
| image_1 = 2ReichsMark.JPG
| image_title_1 = {{Reichsmark|2}}—coin depicting [[Paul von Hindenburg]]
| image_2 = 
| image_title_2 = {{Reichsmark|5}}—banknote depicting an allegorical German youth
| using_countries = {{plainlist|
*[[Weimar Republic]]
*[[Nazi Germany]]
*[[Allied-occupied Germany]]}}
| pegged_by = [[Belgian franc]], [[Bohemian and Moravian koruna]], [[Bulgarian lev]], [[Danish krone]], [[French franc]], [[Italian lira]], [[Luxembourg franc]], [[Dutch gulden]], [[Norwegian krone]], [[Polish złoty]], [[Serbian dinar]], [[Slovak koruna (1939–1945)]], [[Ukrainian karbovanets]] in [[World War II]] as similar rates
| subunit_ratio_1 = {{frac|1|100}}
| subunit_name_1 = [[Pfennig|Reichspfennig]]
| symbol = ℛ&#xfe01;ℳ&#xfe01;
| symbol_subunit_1 = 
| plural = Reichsmark
| plural_subunit_1 = Reichspfennig
| used_coins = 1 ℛ&#xfe01;₰, 2 ℛ&#xfe01;₰, 5 ℛ&#xfe01;₰, 10 ℛ&#xfe01;₰, 50 ℛ&#xfe01;₰, {{Reichsmark|1}}, {{Reichsmark|2}}, {{Reichsmark|5}}
| used_banknotes = {{Reichsmark|5}}, {{Reichsmark|10}}, {{Reichsmark|20}} {{Reichsmark|50}}, {{Reichsmark|100}}, {{Reichsmark|1,000}}
| issuing_authority = [[Reichsbank]]
| issuing_authority_website = 
| iso_code = <!-- none -->
| obsolete = yes
| date_of_introduction = 1924
| replaced_currency = [[German Rentenmark]]
| date_of_withdrawal = {{plainlist|
*June 20, 1948 ([[Bizone|Trizone]])
*June 23, 1948 ([[Soviet occupation zone of Germany]])}}
| replaced_by_currency = {{plainlist|
*[[AM-Mark]]
*[[Deutsche Mark]] (West Germany)
*[[East German mark]] (East Germany)}}
}}

The '''{{lang|de|Reichsmark}}''' ({{IPA|de|ˈʁaɪçsˌmaʁk|lang|De-Reichsmark.ogg}}; [[Currency sign|sign]]: '''ℛ︁ℳ︁'''; abbreviation: '''RM''') was the [[currency]] of [[German Reich|Germany]] from 1924 until the fall of [[Nazi Germany]] in 1945, and in the [[Bizone|American, British and French occupied zones of Germany]], until 20 June 1948. The Reichsmark was then replaced by the [[Deutsche Mark]], to become the currency of [[West Germany]] and then all of Germany after the 1990 reunification. The Reichsmark was used in the [[Soviet occupation zone of Germany]] until 23 June 1948, where it was replaced by the [[East German mark]]. The Reichsmark was subdivided into 100 {{lang|de|Reichspfennig}} (Rpf or ℛ︁₰).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-14 |title=Reichspfennig – Schreibung, Definition, Bedeutung, Synonyme, Beispiele |url=https://www.dwds.de/wb/Reichspfennig |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=DWDS |language=de}}</ref> The [[Mark (unit)|Mark]] is an ancient Germanic weight measure, traditionally a half pound, later used for several coins; {{lang|de|Reich}} (''realm'' in English) comes from the official name for the German state from 1871 to 1945, {{lang|de|[[German Reich|Deutsches Reich]]}}.

==History==
The Reichsmark was introduced in 1924 as a permanent replacement for the ''[[Papiermark]]''. This was necessary due to the [[Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic|1920s German inflation]] which had reached its peak in 1923. The exchange rate between the old ''Papiermark'' and the Reichsmark was {{Reichsmark|1}} = 10<sup>12</sup> [[Papiermark|ℳ&#xfe01;]] (one trillion in American English and French, one billion in German and other European languages and British English of the time; see [[long and short scale]]). To stabilize the economy and to smooth the transition, the ''Papiermark'' was not directly replaced by the Reichsmark, but by the ''[[Rentenmark]]'', an interim currency backed by the ''[[Deutsche Rentenbank]]'', owning industrial and agricultural real estate assets. The Reichsmark was put on the [[gold standard]] at the rate previously used by the [[German mark (1871)|German mark]], with the [[U.S. dollar]] worth {{Reichsmark|4.20}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kofner|first=Yuri|date=2023-01-03 |title=MIWI Institute – 150 years of German monetary history |url=https://miwi-institut.de/archives/2626 |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=MIWI Institute |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Expansion outside the Reichsmark ===
{{main|Öffa bills|Mefo bills}}

During this period a number of [[Shell corporation|shell companies]] were created and authorized to issue bonds outside the Reichsmark in order to finance state projects.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Bastisch, Andre |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/724193260 |title=Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahmen im Dritten Reich von 1933-1936 |year=2007 |publisher=GRIN Verlag |isbn=978-3-638-68655-6 |oclc=724193260}}</ref> Nominally exchangeable at a 1:1 rate for Reichsmarks but then discounted by the Reichsbank this created secret monetary expansion without formally renouncing the gold standard of the Reichsmark.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kopper |first=Christopher |date=April 1998 |title=Banking in National Socialist Germany, 1933–39 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0968565000001414 |journal=Financial History Review |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=49–62 |doi=10.1017/s0968565000001414 |s2cid=154770245 |issn=0968-5650|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===World War II===
With the [[Anschluss|annexation]] of the [[Federal State of Austria]] by Germany in 1938, the Reichsmark replaced the [[Austrian schilling]]. During the [[World War II|Second World War]], Germany established fixed exchange rates between the Reichsmark and the currencies of the [[German-occupied Europe|occupied]] and [[Axis powers|allied countries]], often set so as to give economic benefits to German soldiers and civilian contractors, who were paid their wages in local currency. The rates were as follows:

{|class="wikitable"
! Currency !! Date set !! Value per {{Reichsmark|10}}
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Belgian franc]] || align = "right"|May 1940 || align = "center"|Fr{{nbsp}}100
|-
|align = "right"|July 1940 || align = "center"|Fr{{nbsp}}125
|-
|[[Bohemian and Moravian koruna|Bohemia and Moravia crown]] || align = "right"|April 1939 || align = "center"|K{{nbsp}}100
|-
|[[Bulgarian lev]] || rowspan="2" align="right" |1940 || align = "center"|Lev{{nbsp}}333.33
|-
|[[Danish krone|Danish crown]] || align="center" |DKr{{nbsp}}10
|-
|[[French franc]] || align = "right"|May 1940 || align = "center"|Fr{{nbsp}}200
|-
|[[Italian lira]] || align = "right"|1943 || align = "center"|Lit{{nbsp}}100
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Luxembourg franc]] || align = "right"|May 1940 || align = "center"|Fr{{nbsp}}40
|-
|align = "right"|July 1940 || align = "center"|Fr{{nbsp}}100
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Dutch guilder]] || align = "right"|10 May 1940 || align = "center"|ƒ6.66
|-
|align = "right"|17 July 1940 || align = "center"|ƒ7.57
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Norwegian krone|Norwegian crown]] || align = "right"|1940 || align = "center"|NKr{{nbsp}}13.33
|-
| align = "right"|? || align = "center"|NKr{{nbsp}}17.50
|-
|[[Polish złoty]] || align = "right"|1939 || align = "center"|zł{{nbsp}}20
|-
|[[Pound sterling|Sterling]] ([[German occupation of the Channel Islands|Channel Islands]]) || align = "right"|1940 || align = "center"|£0{{nbsp}}17s{{nbsp}}{{frac|4|1|2}}d
|-
|[[Independent State of Croatia kuna|Croatian kuna]] || align = "right"|April 1941 || align = "center"|Kn{{nbsp}}200
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Slovak koruna (1939-1945)|Slovak crown]] || align = "right"|1939 || align = "center"|Sk{{nbsp}}100
|-
|align = "right"|1 October 1940 || align = "center"|Sk{{nbsp}}116.20
|-
|[[Finnish mark]] || align = "right"|1941 || align = "center"|FMk{{nbsp}}197.44
|}

=== Post-war ===
After the [[World War II|Second World War]], the Reichsmark continued to circulate in Germany, but with new banknotes ([[AM-Mark|Allied Occupation Marks]]) printed in the US and in the [[Soviet occupation zone|Soviet Zone]], as well as with coins (without [[swastikas]]). Inflation in the final months of the war had reduced the value of the Reichsmark from {{Reichsmark|2.50}} = $1US to {{Reichsmark|10}} = $1US and a barter economy had emerged due to the rapid depreciation. The Reichsmark was replaced by the [[Deutsche Mark]] at a rate of 10:1 (1:1 for cash and current accounts) in June 1948 in the [[Bizone|Trizone]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Deutsche Mark and its Legacy |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/deutsche-mark-and-its-precious-legacies-4049080 |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> and later in the same year by the [[East German mark]] in the Soviet Occupation Zone (colloquially also "Ostmark", since 1968 officially "''Mark der DDR''"). The 1948 currency reform under the direction of [[Ludwig Erhard]] is considered the beginning of the [[Wirtschaftswunder|West German economic recovery]]; however, the secret plan to introduce the Deutsche Mark in the Trizone was formulated by economist [[Edward A. Tenenbaum]] of the [[Office of Military Government, United States|US military government]], and was executed abruptly on 21 June 1948. Three days later, the new currency also replaced the Reichsmark in the [[West Berlin|three Western sectors of Berlin]]. In November 1945, the Reichsmark was superseded by the Second Austrian [[Austrian schilling|schilling]] in Austria. In 1947, the [[Saar mark]], later replaced with the [[Saar franc]], was introduced in the [[Saar (protectorate)|Saar]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= |first= |author-link= |date=15 November 1947 |title=Law 1947-2158 of 15 November 1947 |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1564552q/f2.item |journal=[[Journal Officiel de la République Française]] |language=French |volume= |issue=1947–268 |pages=11294 |doi= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |mr= |zbl= |id= |access-date=21 October 2020}}</ref>

==Coins==
[[File:Reichsmark.jpg|thumb|200px|5 Reichsmark coins without (1936) and with (1938) the Nazi swastika]]
[[File:1rpfront.jpg|200px|thumb|Prewar bronze Reichspfennig (obverse)]]
[[File:1rp1943front.jpg|200px|thumbnail|Wartime zinc Reichspfennig (obverse)]]
[[File:50rp1939efront.jpg|200px|thumbnail|Aluminium 50 ℛ&#xfe01;₰ coin (obverse)]]

=== Denominations ===
In 1924, coins were introduced in denominations of [[1 Reichspfennig (World War II German coin)|1 ℛ&#xfe01;₰]], 2 ℛ︁₰, [[5 Reichspfennig (World War II German coin)|5 ℛ︁₰]], 10 ℛ︁₰, and [[50 Reichspfennig (World War II German coin)|50 ℛ︁₰]], and 1 ℳ︁ and 3 ℳ︁.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://worldcoingallery.com/countries/Germany_all3.html |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=World Coin Gallery|title=worldcoingallery.com/countries/Germany_all3.html}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:1rpback.jpg|Prewar bronze 1 ℛ︁₰ (reverse). Made of pure bronze
File:1939a5rprev.jpg|Prewar 5 ℛ︁₰ (reverse). Made of aluminium-bronze
File:10rpgoldrev.jpg|Prewar 10 ℛ︁₰ (reverse). Struck in the same aluminium-bronze as the 5 ℛ︁₰.
File:10rpgoldobv.jpg|Prewar 10 ℛ︁₰ (obverse)
</gallery>

<gallery>
File:1rp1943back.jpg|Wartime zinc 1 Reichspfennig (reverse)
File:5rp1941aback.jpg|Wartime zinc 5 Reichspfennig (reverse)
File:10rpzincrev.jpg|Wartime zinc 10 Reichspfennig (reverse)
File:50rp1939eback.jpg|Aluminum 50 Reichspfennig coin (reverse)
</gallery>

=== 4 {{lang|de|Reichspfennig}} ===
'''4''' '''{{lang|de|Reichspfennig}}''' coins were issued in 1932 as part of a failed attempt by the [[Reichskanzler]] [[Heinrich Brüning]] to reduce prices through use of 4 ℛ︁₰ pieces instead of 5 ℛ︁₰ coins. Known as the {{lang|de|Brüningtaler}} or {{lang|de|Armer Heinrich}} ('poor Heinrich'), they were demonetized the following year. See {{lang|de|[[:de:Brüningtaler|Brüningtaler]]}} {{in lang|de}}. The quality of the Reichsmark coins decreased more and more towards the end of World War II and misprints happened more frequently.<ref name="Kordes">Matthias Kordes: ''Die Geschichte der Münzen in Westfalen von 1855–2005.'' In: Sparkasse Vest Recklinghausen (Hrsg.): ''150 Jahre Sparkasse Vest Recklinghausen. Gut für die Region.'' Sparkasse Vest Recklinghausen, Recklinghausen</ref><ref>Dieter Petzina: ''Hauptprobleme der deutschen Wirtschaftspolitik 1932/33.'' In: ''[[Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte]].'' 1967, 15. Jahrgang, Heft 1, S. 18–55 ([https://www.ifz-muenchen.de/heftarchiv/1967_1_2_petzina.pdf PDF]).</ref> Since the 4 ℛ︁₰ coin was only slightly larger than the 1 ℳ︁ coin and the imperial eagle looked similar, an attempt was made to pass it off as a 1-reichsmark coin by silvering the 4 ℛ︁₰ coin.<ref>''Ausgabe neuer Reichskupfermünzen zu 4 Reichspfennig.'' In: ''Die Fahrt'', hrsg: [[Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe|Berliner Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft]], 4.&nbsp;Jg., Nr.&nbsp;7 (1. April 1932), S.&nbsp;49</ref>

===10 {{lang|de|Reichspfennig}}===
{{Infobox coin
| Denomination          = 10 Reichspfennig
| Country               = {{flag|Nazi Germany}}
| Value                 = 10
| Unit                  = [[#Coins|Reichspfennig]]
| Mass                  = 3.52
| Diameter              = 21
| Thickness             = 1.5
| Edge                  = Plain
| Composition           = 100% [[Zinc|Zn]]
| Years of Minting      = 1940–1945
| Obverse               = 10rpzincobv.jpg 
| Obverse Image Size    = 200px
| Obverse Design        = {{lang|de|[[Reichsadler]]}} with [[swastika]].<br />''Lettering:''<br />Deutsches Reich 1940
| Reverse               = 10rpzincrev.jpg 
| Reverse Image Size    = 200px
| Reverse Design        = [[Denomination (currency)|Denomination]] and two oak leaves. [[Mintmark]] below the denomination and between leaves.<br />''Lettering:''<br />10 Reichspfennig J
}}

The zinc '''10 {{lang|de|Reichspfennig}}''' coin was minted by [[Nazi Germany]] between 1940 and 1945 during World War II, replacing the aluminium-bronze version, which had a distinct golden colour. It is worth {{frac|1|10}} or .10 of a Reichsmark. Made entirely of [[zinc]], the 10 ℛ︁₰ is an emergency issue type, similar to the zinc 1 ℛ︁₰ and [[5 Reichspfennig (World War II German coin)|5 ℛ&#xfe01;₰]], and the [[aluminium]] [[50 Reichspfennig (World War II German coin)|50 ℛ&#xfe01;₰]] coins from the same period.

==Mint marks==
Nazi Germany had a number of mints. Each mint location had its own identifiable letter. It is therefore possible to identify exactly which mint produced what coin by noting the mint mark on the coin. Not all mints were authorized to produce coins every year. The mints were also only authorized to produce a set number of coins with some mints allocated a greater production than others. Some of the coins with particular mint marks are therefore scarcer than others. With the silver {{Reichsmark|2}} and {{Reichsmark|5}} coins, the mint mark is found under the date on the left side of the coin. On the smaller denomination Reichspfennig coins, the mint mark is found on the bottom center of the coin.<ref name="nazicoins.net">{{Cite web |title=Nazi Germany Coin Mint Marks |url=http://www.nazicoins.net/nazi-germany-coin-mint-marks/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211010243/http://www.nazicoins.net/nazi-germany-coin-mint-marks/ |archive-date=2017-12-11 |access-date=2013-01-16}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" |Mint mark
! scope="col" |Mint location
! scope="col" |Notes
!References
|-
|A
|[[Staatliche Münze Berlin|State Mint]] [[Berlin]], Germany
|Capital of Germany
| rowspan="7" |<ref name="nazicoins.net" />
|-
|B 
|[[Austrian Mint]] [[Vienna]], Austria 
|Capital of Austria
|-
|D 
|[[Bavarian Central Mint]] [[Munich]], Germany
|Capital of Bavaria
|-
|E 
| {{interlanguage link|Muldenhütten Mint|de|Münzstätte Muldenhütten}} near [[Dresden]], Germany 
|Capital of Saxony
|-
|F 
|{{interlanguage link|Stuttgart State Mint|lt=State Mint|de|Staatliche Münze Stuttgart}} [[Stuttgart]], Germany
|Capital of Württemberg
|-
|G 
|{{interlanguage link|Karlsruhe State Mint|lt=State Mint|de|Staatliche Münze Karlsruhe}} [[Karlsruhe]], Germany
|Capital of Baden
|-
|J 
|[[Hamburgische Münze|Mint of]] [[Hamburg]], Germany
|
|}

==Mintage==
[[File:10rpgoldobv.jpg|thumb|Prewar 10 Reichspfennig (1938A, obverse)]]
[[File:10rpgoldrev.jpg|thumb|Prewar 10 Reichspfennig (1938A, reverse)]]

{| class="wikitable"
|+1940
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Mintage
! scope="col" |Notes
|-
|1940 A
|212,948,000
|
|-
|1940 B
|76,274,000
|
|-
|1940 D
|45,434,000
|
|-
|1940 E
|34,350,000
|
|-
|1940 F
|27,603,000
|
|-
|1940 G
|27,308,000
|
|-
|1940 J
|41,678,000
|
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+1941
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Mintage
! scope="col" |Notes
|-
|1941 A
|240,284,000
|
|-
|1941 B
|70,747,000
|
|-
|1941 D
|77,560,000
|
|-
|1941 E
|36,548,000
|
|-
|1941 F
|42,834,000
|
|-
|1941 G
|28,765,000
|
|-
|1941 J
|30,525,000
|
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+1942
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Mintage
! scope="col" |Notes
|-
|1942 A
|184,545,000
|
|-
|1942 B
|16,329,000
|
|-
|1942 D
|40,852,000
|
|-
|1942 E
|18,334,000
|
|-
|1942 F
|32,690,000
|
|-
|1942 G
|20,295,000
|
|-
|1942 J
|29,957,000
|
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+1943
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Mintage
! scope="col" |Notes
|-
|1943 A
|157,357,000
|
|-
|1943 B
|11,940,000
|
|-
|1943 D
|17,304,000
|
|-
|1943 E
|10,445,000
|
|-
|1943 F
|24,804,000
|
|-
|1943 G
|3,618,000
| rowspan="2" |Rare
|-
|1943 J
|1,821,000
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+1944
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Mintage
! scope="col" |Notes
|-
|1944 A
|84,164,000
|
|-
|1944 B
|40,781,000
|
|-
|1944 D
|30,369,000
|
|-
|1944 E
|29,963,000
|
|-
|1944 F
|19,639,000
|
|-
|1944 G
|13,023,000
|
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+1945<ref name="numista.com">{{Cite web | title=10 Reichspfennig - Germany - 1871-1948 - Numista|publisher=Numista| url=http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces1929.html| access-date=2013-01-16}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Mintage
! scope="col" |Notes
|-
|1945 A
|7,112,000
|Rare
|-
|1945 E
|4,897,000
|Rare
|}

==Banknotes==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2016}}
The first Reichsmark banknotes were introduced by the [[Reichsbank]] and state banks such as those of [[Bavaria]], [[Saxony]] and [[Baden]]. The first Reichsbank issue of 1924 came in denominations of {{Reichsmark|10}}, {{Reichsmark|20}}, {{Reichsmark|50}}, {{Reichsmark|100}}, and {{Reichsmark|1,000}}. This was followed by a second issue in the same denominations, dated between 1929 and 1936. The second issue commemorated persons who made contributions to German agriculture, industry, economy, science, and architecture: {{Reichsmark|10}} issued in 1929 commemorated agronomist [[Albrecht Thaer]]; {{Reichsmark|20}} issued in 1929 commemorated engineer, inventor, and industrialist [[Werner von Siemens]]; {{Reichsmark|50}} issued in 1933 commemorated [[Prussia|Prussian]] politician and banker [[David Hansemann]]; 100 ℛ︁ℳ︁ issued in 1935 commemorated chemist and "father of fertilizer industry" [[Justus von Liebig]]; {{Reichsmark|1,000}} issued in 1936 commemorated [[Prussia|Prussian]] architect [[Karl Friedrich Schinkel]].

A newer version of {{Reichsmark|20}} note was introduced in 1939, using a design taken from an unissued Austrian [[Austrian schilling|S]]100  banknote type. {{Reichsmark|5}} notes were issued in 1942. Throughout this period, the Rentenbank also issued banknotes denominated in Rentenmark, mostly in RM 1 and RM 2 denominations.

In preparation for the occupation of Germany, the United States issued occupation banknotes dated 1944, printed by the Forbes Lithograph Printing Company of Boston. These were printed in similar colours with different sizes for groups of denominations. Notes were issued for {{frac|1|2}} ℳ︁, 1 ℳ︁, 5 ℳ︁, 10 ℳ︁, 20 ℳ︁, 50 ℳ︁, 100 ℳ︁, and 1,000 ℳ︁. The issuer was the {{lang|de|Alliierte Militärbehörde}} ('Allied military authorities') with {{lang|de|In Umlauf gesetzt in Deutschland}} ('in legal circulation in Germany') printed on the obverse.

These notes were convertible to US dollars at a rate of 10:1. Seeing an opportunity to procure foreign hard currency, the [[Soviet Union]] demanded copies of the engraving plates, ink, and associated equipment in early 1944, and on 14 April 1944 [[Henry Morgenthau Jr.|Henry Morgenthau]] and [[Harry Dexter White]] of the [[U.S. Treasury Department]] authorized the air transfer of these to the USSR. Using a printing plant in occupied [[Leipzig]], the Soviet authorities printed large runs of occupation marks to fill Soviet coffers with dollars causing inflation and financial instability. An investigation by the [[United States Congress]] (Occupation Currency Transactions Hearings before the Committee on Appropriations, Armed Services and Banking and Currency, [[U.S. Senate]], 1947) found that about $380,000,000 "more currency than there were appropriations for" had been circulated.

In 1947 [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] issued 5₰ and 10₰ notes with {{lang|de|Geldschein}} on them.

<gallery>
File:20 Reichsmark 1924 Deutsche Reichsbank.png|{{Reichsmark|20}}, 1924
File:10 Reichsmark, Berlin 22. Januar 1929.JPG|{{Reichsmark|10}}, 1929
File:20 Reichsmark, Berlin 22. Januar 1929.JPG|{{Reichsmark|20}}, 1929
</gallery>

==Occupation Reichsmark==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2016}}
[[File:2Reichsmark.jpg|thumb|2 Reichsmark of the occupied territories]]
Coins and banknotes for circulation in the occupied territories during the war were issued by the ''Reichskreditkassen''. Holed, zinc coins in 5 ℛ︁₰ and 10 ℛ︁₰ denominations were struck in 1940 and 1941. Banknotes were issued between 1939 and 1945 in denominations of 50 ℛ︁₰, {{Reichsmark|1}}, {{Reichsmark|2}}, {{Reichsmark|5}}, {{Reichsmark|20}}, and {{Reichsmark|50}}. These served as legal tender alongside the currency of the occupied countries.

The coins were originally planned in great numbers of 100 million and 250 million each of the 5 ℛ︁₰ and 10 ℛ︁₰ coins respectively. The first embossing order, which was issued in April 1940, was about 40 million × 5 ℛ︁₰ and 100 million × 10 ℛ︁₰. The total amount was divided between each of the seven German mints after the embossing key of 1939. The contract was stopped in August 1940 as the Wehrmacht, which had requested the coins for Belgium and France, had no more need of it. When the embossing stopped, only Berlin ("A") and Munich ("D") produced significant quantities, but they still came to only a small extent of original production plans. The majority were melted down due to the limited supply of metal and thus, most mint marks are now quite rare (except for 1940 5 A and D, and 1940 10 A).

<gallery>
File:Nazi Coins 10 Reichskreditkassen-638x326.jpg|Currency of the occupied countries (1940 10 J)
File:5 Reichskreditkassen 1940 B.jpg|Currency of the occupied countries (1940 5 B)
File:50 Reichspfennig 1938-1945.png|50 ℛ︁₰, 1938–1945
File:1 Reichsmark 1938-1945.png|{{Reichsmark|1}}, 1938–1945
File:2 Reichsmark 1938-1945.png|{{Reichsmark|2}}, 1938–1945
File:5 Reichsmark 1938-1945.png|{{Reichsmark|5}}, 1938–1945
File:20 Reichsmark 1938-1945.png|{{Reichsmark|20}}, 1938–1945
File:50 Reichsmark 1938-1945.png|{{Reichsmark|50}}, 1938–1945
</gallery>[[File:KF-Lagergeld-10Reichspfennig.jpg|thumb|Prisoner of war camp issue of {{Interlanguage link|Lagergeld|de}}]]

==Concentration camp and POW Reichsmark currency==
Various special issues of Reichsmark currency were issued for use in [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration]] and [[Prisoner-of-war camp|prisoner of war]] (POW) camps (''[[Stalag]]''). None were legal tender in Germany itself. From 1942 to 1943 tokens were struck for use within the [[Łódź Ghetto]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lodz Ghetto Token Coinage |url=https://www.pcgs.com/news/lodz-ghetto-token-coinage/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301225409/https://www.pcgs.com/news/lodz-ghetto-token-coinage/ |archive-date=2018-03-01 |access-date=2018-03-01 |website=www.pcgs.com}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=June 2022|reason=Needs additional citation}}

==Military Reichsmark currency==
{{Main|AM-Mark}}
[[File:1944 German Military Mark.JPG|thumb|upright|Both sides of a "5 Mark" banknote, issued as "Allied Military Currency" for use within the Allied forces in Germany]]Special issues of Reichsmark currency were issued for use by the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' from 1942 to 1944. The first issue was denominated in 1 ℛ︁₰, 5 ℛ︁₰, 10 ℛ︁₰, and 50 ℛ︁₰ and {{Reichsmark|1}}, but was valued at 1 military Reichspfennig = 10 civilian Reichspfennig. This series was printed on only one side. The second issue notes of {{Reichsmark|1}}, {{Reichsmark|5}}, {{Reichsmark|10}}, and {{Reichsmark|50}} were equal in value to the ordinary German Reichsmark and were printed on both sides.

The 5 Mark note pictured, front and back, is Allied military currency ("AMC") printed at Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company in Boston for occupied Germany. There were different AMCs for each liberated area of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Allied Military Currency |url=http://www.strictly-gi.com/currency.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106183526/http://strictly-gi.com/currency.html |archive-date=6 January 2009 |access-date=18 March 2015 |publisher=Strictly G.I.}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Germany|Money|Numismatics}}
* [[Oeffa bills|Öffa bills]] 1932 German government promissory notes
* [[Mefo bills|MEFO]] Financial instrument used to finance Nazi German rearmament
* [[AM-Mark]]
* [[Pictorial list of postage stamps in Nazi Germany]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{numis cite SCWC|date=1991}}
*{{numis cite SCWPM|date=1994}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*[[Liaquat Ahamed|Ahamed, Liaquat]] (2009). ''Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World''. [[Penguin Books]]. {{ISBN|978-1-59420-182-0}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://worldcoinsinfo.com/world/germany-weimar-coins.html Weimar coins] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://worldcoinsinfo.com/world/germany-third-riech-coins.html Third Reich coins] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://ccoins.ru/pages/germanija-vejmar-monety.html Weimar coins] {{in lang|ru}}
* [https://ccoins.ru/pages/germanskij-tretij-rejh-monety.html Third Reich coins] {{in lang|ru}}
* [http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/projects/currency.htm#tables Historical Currency Conversion Tables, Reichsmarks to Dollars, 1870s–2012]

{{n-start}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Rentenmark]]|rowspan=4|reason=[[Inflation in the Weimar Republic|hyperinflation]]|ratio=1 Rentenmark = 1,000,000,000,000 Papiermark, and 4.2 Rentenmark = [[US dollar|US$1]]}}
{{n-currency|location=Germany<br />([[Weimar Republic]] borders)|rowspan=4|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1924|end=1948}}
{{n-after|currency=[[East German mark|East German Mark]]|ratio=1 Mark = 7 Rentenmark on the first 70 Rentenmark for private individuals, otherwise 1 Kuponmark = 10 Rentenmark|reason=reaction to the changeover in [[Trizone]] (later West Germany and [[West Berlin]])}}
{{n-after|currency=[[German mark|Deutsche Mark]]|ratio=1 Deutsche Mark = 1 Rentenmark for first {{Reichsmark|600}}, 1 Deutsche Mark = 10 Rentenmark thereafter, plus each person received 40 Deutsche Mark|reason=intended to protect West Germany from the second wave of [[hyperinflation]] and stop the rampant barter and [[black market]] trade}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Polish złoty]]|ratio=None|reason=Transfer of the [[Recovered Territories]] to [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Soviet ruble]]|ratio=None|reason=Transfer of modern [[Kaliningrad Oblast]] to [[Soviet Union]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[French franc]]|ratio=?|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Saar (protectorate)|Saarland]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1935|end=1947}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Saar mark]]|ratio=?|reason=creation of the [[Saar (protectorate)|protectorate]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Austrian schilling]]|ratio=1 Mark = 1.5 Schilling|reason=[[Anschluss|annexation to Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=Austria|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1938|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Austrian schilling]]|ratio=1:1 for first 150 Schilling|reason=restoration of independence}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Czechoslovak koruna]]|ratio=?|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Sudetenland]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1938|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Czechoslovak koruna]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to [[Czechoslovakia]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Lithuanian litas]]|ratio=1 Mark = 2.5 litas|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Klaipėda]] (Memel)|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1939|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Soviet ruble]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to [[Soviet Union]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Danzig gulden]]|ratio=1 Mark = 1.43 Gulden|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=the [[Free City of Danzig]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1939|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Polish złoty]]|ratio=?|reason=annexation to [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Polish złoty]]|ratio=1 Mark = 2 złote|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany]]|start=1939|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Polish złoty]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Belgian franc]]|ratio=1 Mark = 12.5 franc|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Eupen-Malmedy]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1940|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Belgian franc]]|ratio=1 Mark = 12.5 franc|reason=re-integration to Belgium}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Luxembourgish franc]]|ratio=1 Mark = 10 Franc|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Luxembourg]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1940|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Belgian franc]]<br />[[Luxembourgish franc]]|ratio=?|reason=restoration of independence}}
{{n-before|currency=[[French franc]]|ratio=?|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Alsace-Lorraine]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1940|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[French franc]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to France}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Yugoslav dinar]]|ratio=1 Mark = 20 dinars|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=northern [[Slovenia]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1941|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Yugoslav dinar]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to [[Federative People's Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]}}
{{n-before|currency=[[Italian lira]]|ratio=?|reason=annexation to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]}}
{{n-currency|location=southern [[Slovenia]]|note=In parallel with [[Rentenmark]]|start=1943|end=1945}}
{{n-after|currency=[[Yugoslav dinar]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to [[Federative People's Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]}}
{{N-before|currency=[[Soviet ruble]]|ratio=?|reason=annexation to [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]]}}
{{N-currency|end=1945|location=[[Transnistria Governorate|Transnistria]]|start=1941}}
{{N-after|currency=[[Soviet ruble]]|ratio=?|reason=re-integration to [[Soviet Union]]}}
{{end}}
{{Mark}}
{{Currencies of Former Yugoslavia}}
{{Currency signs}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1924 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:1948 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Coins of Germany]]
[[Category:Currencies of Europe]]
[[Category:Currencies of Germany]]
[[Category:Economy of Nazi Germany]]
[[Category:Modern obsolete currencies]]
[[Category:Ten-cent coins]]
[[Category:Zinc and aluminum coins minted in Germany and occupied territories during World War II]]