P016
Paper, Crisp UNC
113 mm x 85 mm
HISTORY: During World War I and in the following decade, Germany was dealing with a wartime shortage of coinage and subsequently hyperinflation and the collapse of its currency. To counter this, the country issued its notgeld (emergency money), which took on many forms (tokens, postage, and paper notes). This colorful notgeld packs quite a story in itself.
OBVERSE: On the morning of January 22, 1536, Jan van Leyden (John of Leiden) (1509–1536), Bernhard Krechting (before 1500–1536), and Bernhard Knipperdolling (1495–1536) were tied to poles, tortured with red-hot tongs, and executed with burning daggers in the marketplace outside the walls of St. Lambert Church in the City of Münster. The three had been leaders of the Anabaptist Protestant religious group and were at odds with the Roman Catholic Church because they had taken control of Münster.
REVERSE: Their bodies were hung in three iron cages from the steeple of St. Lambert’s where they decayed for 50 years until their bones were finally removed. The tower was demolished and rebuilt in the 1880s and 1890s. The original cages hang from the steeple tower to this day.
