German Deutsche Mark banknotes
Euro Coin Exchange will exchange German Deutsche mark paper money and coins for dollars. Specifically, we buy most post-war German banknotes, including any of the banknotes listed below:
- Banknotes from the Bank deutscher Länder (BdL) – with the exception of the 50 Mark BdL note II (green), issued in 1948 (exchange stopped on 15 March 1951)
- Bundesbank banknotes (banknote series BBk I/Ia and III/IIIa)
Images of some commonly found German banknotes appear below. At the bottom of the page you will find links to images of some older series Deutsche Marks.
Hint: Although we WILL NOT BUY the 50 Mark BdL notes mentioned above, they can be submitted together with an application for reimbursement (only available in German) to the National Analysis Centre at the Bundesbank’s Mainz Regional Office or to any other Bundesbank branch.
We now pre-euro German coins, too (contact us for details)! We do not buy banknotes or coins that were issued prior to 20 June 1948, nor do we buy banknotes and coins from the former Soviet occupation zone and the German Democratic Republic, as these can no longer be exchanged or redeemed.
Images of some common pre-euro German banknotes which we buy:
5 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 5 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Greenish-yellow | ||
| Size | 122 x 62mm | ||
| Front side | Bettina von Armin (1785-1859), writer. In the background, a picture of Wiepesdorf castle and historic buildings of Berlin. | ||
| Reverse side | Brandenburg Gate | ||
| First issued | 27 October 1992 | ||
10 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 10 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Bluish-violet | ||
| Size | 130 x 65mm | ||
| Front side | Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), mathematician, astronomer, geodesist and physicist. In the background, buildings from historic Göttingen. | ||
| Reverse side | A sextant, like the one Gauss used for measuring. | ||
| First issued | 16 April 1991 | ||
20 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 20 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Bluish-green | ||
| Size | 138 x 68mm | ||
| Front side | Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848), poet. In the background, historic buildings of the town of Meersburg. | ||
| Reverse side | A quill and a Beech Tree, referred to in Annette von Droste-Hülshoff’s short novel “Die Judenbuche” (Jews’ Beech Tree). | ||
| First issued | 30 March 1992 | ||
50 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 50 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Olive brown | ||
| Size | 146 x 71mm | ||
| Front side | Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753), baroque architect. In the background, historic buildings from the town of Würzburg. | ||
| Reverse side | Partial view of the stairway of the Würzburg residence and side-view of the St Benedict abbey church in Neresheim. | ||
| First issued | 02 February 1998 | ||
100 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 100 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Reddish-blue | ||
| Size | 154 x 74mm | ||
| Front side | Clara Schumann (1819-1896), pianist and composer. In the background, buildings from historic Leipzig. | ||
| Reverse side | A grand piano and the Hoch Conservatorium in Frankfurt where Clara Schumann taught for four years. | ||
| First issued | 01 August 1997 | ||
200 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 200 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Red-orange | ||
| Size | 162 x 77mm | ||
| Front side | Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915), doctor and serologist. In the background, historic buildings from the city of Frankfurt. | ||
| Reverse side | A microscope, used frequently by Paul Ehrlich in his work. | ||
| First issued | 01 August 1997 | ||
500 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 500 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Red-purple | ||
| Size | 170 x 80mm | ||
| Front side | Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), painter, copper engraver and natural scientist. In the background, buildings from historical Nuremburg. | ||
| Reverse side | A dandelion, with the caterpillar and butterfly of the Pale Tussock Moth. | ||
| First issued | 27 October 1992 | ||
1000 DM banknotes, BBK3 series
| Details of the 1000 DM banknote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| feature | details | ||
| Color | Reddish-brown | ||
| Size | 178 x 83mm | ||
| Front side | Wilhelm (1786-1859) and Jacob Grimm (1785-1863), linguists and collectors of German folklore. In the background, historic buildings from the city of Kassel. | ||
| Reverse side | The “German dictionary” and the “Royal Library” in Berlin, one of the domains of the Grimm Brothers. | ||
| First issued | 27 October 1992 | ||
Where can I obtain pictures of and information on Deutsche Mark banknotes of earlier series?
- Banknotes issued by the Bank deutscher Länder (German only)
- Banknotes issued during the currency reform (German only)
- Banknotes of the 1st series issued by the Deutsche Bundesbank (German only)
Images and related banknote information courtesy of Deutsche Bundesbank, the Central Bank of the Federal Republic of Germany
