Complete Set Meissen Porcelain (Emergency Money of the Weimar Republic 1920-1921)

Complete Set of Meissen Porcelain – Seven Emergency Coins of the Weimar Republic

Seven emergency coins made of brown Böttger stoneware, produced at the State Porcelain Manufactory Meissen, kept in a case and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity: this complete set tells the story of a time when the German Reich literally ran out of small change. Silver and gold had vanished from circulation – hoarded by people who no longer trusted paper money. What remained was ingenuity. And that came from Saxony.

From Stopgap Solution to Sought-After Collector's Item

After the First World War, there was a shortage of coinage everywhere. Industry needed copper and nickel, and the silver in a mark coin was soon worth more than its printed face value. From 1919 onward, the Meissen manufactory therefore designed, struck, and fired its own coins. In early 1921, the Free State of Saxony became the first German state to actually issue this porcelain money: emergency money tokens made of Meissen brown Böttger stoneware, up to a total value of five million marks, in denominations of 20 pfennig, 50 pfennig, 1 mark, and 2 marks.

Berlin was less than thrilled. The Reich government saw its sovereign rights being infringed and instructed all Reich treasuries to reject the emergency money from Saxony – anyone wanting to buy stamps at the Reich postal service would come away empty-handed with porcelain coins. Nevertheless, the coins were issued. And shortly after their release, the pieces found their way into collectors' hands en masse rather than continuing to circulate from hand to hand. They could only be redeemed until January 14, 1922; on July 17, 1922, a nationwide ban on emergency money followed, and with the introduction of the Rentenmark, this ceramic currency disappeared for good in 1923.

These Seven Denominations Are Included in the Set

• 20 Pfennig – the smallest denomination, reverse featuring the year above a scythe and a stalk of grain (Jaeger N53)
• 50 Pfennig – classic emergency coin from the 1921 issue (Jaeger N54)
• 1 Mark – round, with the distinctive inscription SACHSEN (Jaeger N55)
• 2 Mark – the highest denomination officially recognized as an emergency money token (Jaeger N56)
• 5 Mark – octagonal image field, edge with fired-in gold decoration
• 10 Mark – also gold-trimmed, noticeably larger in diameter
• 20 Mark – the top piece of the set, with a "Mother and Child" design

The gold decoration on the three largest denominations had a symbolic purpose: it was meant to recall the earlier Reich gold currency, since these exact face values had circulated as gold coins before 1914. They were never intended as legal tender – 5, 10, and 20 marks had purely collector's value from the outset. The same applies to all pieces bearing the year 1920, those early trial strikes produced in tiny quantities. For comparison: around 641,000 examples of the 20-pfennig coin were recorded for 1921, whereas only about 4,200 were produced for 1920.

Böttger Stoneware – the "Red Porcelain" from Meissen

The material is anything but ordinary clay. Böttger stoneware traces back to Johann Friedrich Böttger and Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, who developed it around 1706 in Saxony. Fired at roughly 1,200 to 1,300 °C, the material is water-resistant, dirt-repellent, and extraordinarily durable – ideal for circulating currency. Compared to white bisque porcelain, it offered two concrete advantages: lower shrinkage during firing and finer detail definition. The designs were mostly created by Emil Paul Börner, while the steel dies were engraved by Friedrich Wilhelm Hörnlein of the Saxon State Mint in Muldenhütten. On every coin, the crossed swords indicate its origin from the Meissen porcelain manufactory.

Typical of these coins is the slight, bowl-like concavity on both sides: the material gathers at the edge, stabilizing the piece and allowing for a remarkably high relief. Color variations from light brown to dark brown result from the firing process and are part of the character of these strikings.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Quantity: 7 coins, denominations from 20 pfennig to 20 mark
• Material: brown Böttger stoneware (Meissen porcelain), three denominations with gold decoration
• Years of issue: 1920 and 1921
• Gross weight: 49.8 g (set)
• Origin: Germany, Free State of Saxony
• Condition: circulated, bank-standard
• Scope of delivery: case, with certificate of authenticity, insured value shipping

History You Can Hold – For Collectors and Those Focused on Tangible Assets

Meissen was not alone: the Pfeffer porcelain factory in Gotha, Rosenthal in Selb, and the Krister manufactory in Waldenburg also issued ceramic emergency money and tokens. However, the fame and artistic standing of the Saxon issue have remained unmatched – it is the classic of this collecting field. Anyone collecting coinage of the German Empire knows the gap left by the years after 1914: coins containing precious metal disappeared, replaced by zinc, iron, paper – and, indeed, porcelain. Historic silver coins impress with their fineness and material value, while Meissen porcelain money impresses instead with rarity, craftsmanship, and storytelling power. In a collection, the two worlds complement each other beautifully.

Gold is humanity's oldest currency and has outlived all others. This porcelain money vividly demonstrates what happens when paper promises reach their limits.

Therein lies the appeal: the set is a memorial made of fired earth – and an appealing addition for anyone who, when it comes to tangible assets, already values inflation hedging and crisis protection. Complete sets are in high demand, since the gold-trimmed top denominations and the 1920 vintages rarely appear together. Kept in a case and documented by the enclosed certificate, a piece of German monetary history can now become part of your collection.