My grandad passed away a short while ago at a ripe old age. He was born in Germany toward the end of WWI and moved to the USA in 1938. We found this old bill in his desk:
We don't know when it was printed, how much it was worth at any given time in its history, or anything else about it. Probably not all that exciting for this group but fun for our family. What do you know about it, historians?
I've seen this 100 Mark Note many times before; it was printed before WWI, probably after the announcement of the First and Second Naval Laws in 1899 and 1901. The top picture depicts Germania sitting beneath a tree, the new High Seas Fleet cruising at sea off to the side. Germania is seated with sword and shield, meant to depict German might on land, juxtaposed with German might at sea. The Government maintained an extensive campaign, essentially propaganda, to generate public support ad consent for the naval armaments programs, which were meant to give Germany a fleet that could rival Britain's, and allow Germany to exert greater influence in their foreign policy.
It of course, had the exact opposite effect. It sparked a Naval Arms Race, which alienated the British and drew them closer to the French in the Anglo-French Entente, and thus had an important role to play in the lead up to WWI.