Editing Deutsche Mark

{{short description|Currency of Germany from 1948 to 2002}}
{{Redirect|DEM}}
{{about|the mark issued by the Federal Republic of Germany|the mark issued by the German Democratic Republic|East German mark|the currency of the German Empire from 1873 to 1914|German mark (1871)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox currency
| local_name1 = Deutsche Mark
| local_name_lang1 = de
| local_name2 = German mark
| local_name_lang2 = en
| name_abbr = D-Mark
| iso_code = DEM
| image_1 = GIF of Series 4 of Deutsche Mark Banknotes.gif
| image_title_1 = Deutsche Mark banknotes from 1989
| inflation_rate = 1.4%, December 2001
| using_countries = None, previously:{{Collapsible list
| title =
| {{flagdeco|Allied-occupied Germany}} [[Trizone]] <small>(1948–1949)</small> | {{flag|West Germany}} <small>(1949–1990)</small> | {{flagdeco|Berlin}} [[West Berlin]] <small>(1949–1990)</small> | {{flag|East Germany}} <small>(July–October 1990)</small> | {{flag|Germany}} <small>(1990–2002)</small>}}
| unofficial_users = {{collapsible list |
{{flagdeco|United Nations}} [[UNMIK]] <small>(1999–2002)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/437844.stm|title=Kosovo adopts Deutschmark|date=3 September 1999|work=BBC|access-date=22 June 2013}}</ref></small>
| {{flagdeco|Serbia and Montenegro}} [[Serbia and Montenegro|''FR Yugoslavia'']] <small>(1992–2002, in parallel with the [[Yugoslav dinar]] until 2002)</small>
| {{flagdeco|Republic of Montenegro (1992–2006)}} ''[[Republic of Montenegro (1992–2006)|Republic of Montenegro]]'' <small>(1996–2002, in parallel with the [[Yugoslav dinar]] until 2002)</small>
| {{flagdeco|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} ''[[Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]'' <small>(1992–1998, in parallel with the [[Bosnia and Herzegovina dinar]])</small>
| {{flagdeco|Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia}} ''[[Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia]]'' <small>(1991–1996, in parallel with the [[Bosnia and Herzegovina dinar]], [[Croatian dinar]], and [[Croatian kuna]])</small>
| {{flagicon image|Flag of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia.svg}} ''[[Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia]]'' <small>(1993–1995, in parallel with the [[United States dollar]], [[French franc]], [[Croatian kuna]], and [[Yugoslav dinar]])</small>
| {{flagdeco|United Nations}} [[United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium|UNTAES]] <small>(1996–1998, in parallel with the [[Croatian kuna]] and [[Yugoslav dinar]])</small><ref name="Global Governance">{{cite journal|title=The Political Challenges of Administering Eastern Slavonia|journal = Global Governance|volume = 10|issue = 1|author= Derek Boothby| publisher= [[Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations]] |pages= 37–51 (15 pages)|date= Jan–Mar 2004|doi = 10.1163/19426720-01001005|jstor = 27800508}}</ref>}}
| ERM_since = 13 March 1979
| ERM_fixed_rate_since = 31 December 1998
| euro_replace_non_cash = 1 January 1999
| euro_replace_cash = 1 March 2002
| ERM_fixed_rate = DM 1.95583
| pegged_by = [[Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark]], [[Bulgarian lev]] at par
| subunit_ratio_1 = {{frac|1|100}}
| subunit_name_1 = [[Pfennig]]
| unit = Mark
| symbol = DM
| symbol_subunit_1 = pf
| plural = Mark
| plural_subunit_1 = Pfennig
| frequently_used_coins = 1pf, 2pf, 5pf, 10pf, 50pf, DM1, DM2, DM5
| frequently_used_banknotes = DM5, DM10, DM20, DM50, DM100, DM200
| rarely_used_banknotes = DM500, DM1,000
| issuing_authority = {{lang|de|[[Deutsche Bundesbank]]|italic=no}}
| issuing_authority_website = {{URL|www.bundesbank.de}}
| printer = {{plainlist|
* [[Bundesdruckerei]]
* [[Giesecke & Devrient]]
}}
| printer_website = {{plainlist|
* [http://www.bundesdruckerei.de/ Bundesdruckerei]
* [http://www.gi-de.com/ Giesecke & Devrient]
}}
| mint = {{hidden|List|{{plainlist|
* [[Bavarian Central Mint|Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt]], Munich ([[Mint mark]]: D)
* [[Hamburgische Münze]] (J)
* [[Staatliche Münze Berlin]] (A)
* [[Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg]], formed by Staatliche Münze Karlsruhe (G) and Staatliche Münze Stuttgart (F)
}}}}
| mint_website = {{hidden|List|{{plainlist|
* [http://www.hma.bayern.de Munich mint]
* [http://www.muenzehamburg.de Hamburg mint]
* [http://www.muenze-berlin.de Berlin mint]
* [http://www.staatlichemuenzenbw.de Karlsruhe-Stuttgart mints]
}}}}
| obsolete = yes
}}

The '''Deutsche Mark''' ({{IPA|de|ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈmaʁk|lang|De-Deutsche Mark.ogg}}; "German [[mark (currency)|mark]]"), abbreviated "'''DM'''" or "'''D-Mark'''" ({{IPA|de|ˈdeːˌmaʁk||D-Mark.ogg}}), was the official [[currency]] of [[West Germany]] from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified [[Germany]] from 1990 until the adoption of the [[euro]] in 2002. In English, it was typically called the "'''Deutschmark'''" ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɔɪ|tʃ|m|ɑr|k}} {{respell|DOYTCH|mark}}). One Deutsche Mark was divided into 100 [[pfennig]]s.

It was first issued under [[Bizone|Allied occupation]] in 1948 to replace the [[Reichsmark]] and served as the Federal Republic of Germany's official currency from its founding the following year. On 31 December 1998, the [[Council of the European Union]] fixed the irrevocable exchange rate, effective 1 January 1999, for German mark to euros as DM&nbsp;1.95583 = €1.<ref>{{cite web|date=1999-01-01|title=Determination of the euro conversion rates|url=http://www.ecb.int/press/pr/date/1998/html/pr981231_2.en.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201214918/http://www.ecb.int/press/pr/date/1998/html/pr981231_2.en.html|archive-date=2007-12-01|access-date=2008-02-20|publisher=[[European Central Bank]]}}</ref> In 1999, the Deutsche Mark was replaced by the euro; its [[coin]]s and [[banknote]]s remained in circulation, defined in terms of euros, until the introduction of euro notes and coins on 1 January 2002. The Deutsche Mark ceased to be [[legal tender]] immediately upon the introduction of the euro—in contrast to the other [[eurozone]] states, where the euro and legacy currency circulated side by side for up to two months. Mark coins and banknotes continued to be accepted as valid forms of payment in Germany until 1 March 2002.

The {{lang|de|[[Deutsche Bundesbank]]|italic=no}} has guaranteed that all German marks in cash form may be changed into euros indefinitely, and one may do so in person at any branch of the Bundesbank in Germany. Banknotes and coins can even be sent to the Bundesbank by mail.<ref>{{cite web | title = Exchanging DM for euro | publisher = [[Bundesbank]] | url = http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Standardartikel/Tasks/Cash_management/free_exchange_dm_euro.html | access-date = 2015-01-04 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150103205121/http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Standardartikel/Tasks/Cash_management/free_exchange_dm_euro.html | archive-date = 2015-01-03 }}</ref> In 2012, it was estimated that as many as 13.2 billion marks were in circulation, with one poll from 2011 showing a narrow majority of Germans favouring the currency's restoration (although only a minority believed this would bring any economic benefit).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theweek.com/article/index/230830/why-are-germans-still-using-the-deutsche-mark|title=Why are Germans still using the deutsche mark?|date=19 July 2012|website=theweek.com|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213041942/http://theweek.com/article/index/230830/why-are-germans-still-using-the-deutsche-mark|archive-date=13 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eurozone-germany-mark-idUSTRE7941M320111005 |title=Most Germans want Deutsche mark back, poll shows |date=2011-10-05 |access-date=2021-09-24 |website=reuters.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521233900/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eurozone-germany-mark-idUSTRE7941M320111005 |archive-date=2020-05-21}}</ref> Polls in the early 2020s indicated only a minority of Germans supported reintroduction of the Deutsche Mark.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-12-28|title=RTL/ntv Trendbarometer: Sehnsucht nach der D-Mark geringer als noch vor zehn Jahren|url=https://www.presseportal.de/pm/72183/5109174|access-date=2022-12-09|publisher=Presseportal|language=de}}</ref>

==History==

===Before 1871===
{{See also|North German thaler|South German gulden|German gold mark}}
A mark had been the currency of Germany since its [[Unification of Germany|original unification]] in 1871. Before that time, the different [[List of German Confederation member states|German states]] issued a variety of different currencies, the most common being the [[North German thaler]] and the [[South German gulden]]. By 1857, both currencies were linked to the [[Vereinsthaler]], a silver coin containing {{frac|16|2|3}} [[gram]]s of pure silver. Although the [[German gold mark]] was based on gold rather than silver (at 2.79 marks per gram of fine gold), a fixed exchange rate between the Vereinsthaler and the mark of 3 marks = 1 Vereinsthaler was used for the conversion.

===1873–1948===
The first mark, known as the ''[[German mark (1871)|Goldmark]]'', was introduced in 1873. With the outbreak of [[World War I]], the mark was taken off the gold standard. The currency thus became known as the ''[[Papiermark]]'', especially as high [[inflation]], then [[Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic|hyperinflation]] occurred and the currency became exclusively made up of paper money. The ''Papiermark'' was replaced by the ''[[Rentenmark]]'' (RM) from 15 November 1923, and the ''[[Reichsmark]]'' (ℛ︁ℳ︁) in 1924.

===Early military occupation following WWII===
During the first two years of occupation the occupying powers of France, United Kingdom, United States, and the Soviet Union were not able to successfully negotiate a possible currency reform in Germany. Due to the strains between the Allies each zone was governed independently as regards monetary matters. The US occupation policy was governed by the directive [[JCS 1067]] (in effect until July 1947), which forbade the US military governor "to take any steps to strengthen German financial structure".<ref name="Nicholas Balabkins p. 145">Nicholas Balabkins, ''"Germany Under Direct Controls: Economic Aspects of Industrial Disarmament 1945–1948"'', Rutgers University Press, 1964 p. 145</ref> As a consequence a separate monetary reform in the U.S. zone was not possible.<ref name="Nicholas Balabkins p. 145"/> Each of the Allies printed its [[AM-Mark|own occupation currency]].

===Currency reform of June 1948===
The Deutsche Mark was officially introduced on Sunday 20 June 1948 by [[Ludwig Erhard]]. Large amounts were exchanged for 10&nbsp;ℛ︁ℳ︁ to 65pf. In addition, each person received a per capita allowance of DM&nbsp;60 in two parts, the first being DM&nbsp;40 and the second DM&nbsp;20.<ref>[http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Downloads/Publications/Monthly_Report_Articles/2002/2002_03_circulation_mark.pdf?__blob=publicationFile Bundesbank.de] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170124020614/http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Downloads/Publications/Monthly_Report_Articles/2002/2002_03_circulation_mark.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |date=2017-01-24 }} Accessed 2015-01-04</ref>

A few weeks later Erhard, acting against orders, issued an edict abolishing many economic controls which had been originally implemented by the Nazis, and which the Allies had not removed. He did this, as he often confessed, on Sunday because the offices of the American, British, and French occupation authorities were closed that day. He was sure that if he had done it when they were open, they would have countermanded the order.<ref name=cowen>Tyler Cowen, "The Marshall Plan: myths and realities" in [http://www.gmu.edu/centers/publicchoice/faculty%20pages/Tyler/Marshall_Plan.pdf U.S. Aid to the Developing World, A Free Market Agenda] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122232515/http://www.gmu.edu/centers/publicchoice/faculty%20pages/Tyler/Marshall_Plan.pdf |date=2011-01-22 }}, Heritage Foundation, p.65</ref>

The introduction of the new currency was intended to protect western Germany from a second wave of [[hyperinflation]] and to stop the rampant barter and [[black market]] trade (where cigarettes were used as currency). Although the new currency was initially only distributed in the three western occupation zones outside Berlin, the move angered the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] authorities, who regarded it as a threat.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} The Soviets promptly cut off all road, rail and canal links between the three western zones and [[West Berlin]], starting the [[Berlin Blockade]]. In response, the U.S. and Britain launched an airlift of food and coal and distributed the new currency in West Berlin as well.

====Economics of 1948 currency reform====
Since the 1930s, prices and wages had been controlled, but money had been plentiful. That meant that people had accumulated large paper assets, and that official prices and wages did not reflect reality, as the black market dominated the economy and more than half of all transactions were taking place unofficially. The reform replaced the old money with the new Deutsche Mark at the rate of one new per ten old. This wiped out 90% of government and private debt, as well as private savings. Prices were decontrolled, and labor unions agreed to accept a 15% wage increase, despite the 25% rise in prices. The result was the prices of German export products held steady, while profits and earnings from exports soared and were poured back into the economy. The currency reforms were simultaneous with the $1.4 billion in [[Marshall Plan]] money coming in from the United States, which primarily was used for investment. In addition, the Marshall plan forced German companies, as well as those in all of Western Europe, to modernize their business practices, and take account of the wider market.

Marshall plan funding overcame bottlenecks in the surging economy caused by remaining controls (which were removed in 1949), and opened up a greatly expanded market for German exports. Overnight, consumer goods appeared in the stores, because they could be sold for higher prices.<ref>{{cite book |first=Frank B. |last=Tipton |title=History of Modern Germany since 1815 |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |year=2003 |pages=511–13 |isbn=0-520-24050-2 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Heinz |last=Sauermann |title=The Consequences of the Currency Reform in Western Germany |journal=[[Review of Politics]] |volume=12 |issue=2 |year=1950 |pages=175–196 |doi=10.1017/S0034670500045009 |jstor=1405052 |s2cid=145428438 }}</ref> While the availability of consumer goods is seen as a giant success story by most historians of the present, the perception at the time was a different one: prices were so high that average people could not afford to shop, especially since prices were free-ranging but wages still fixed by law. Therefore, in the summer of 1948 a giant wave of strikes and demonstrations swept over West Germany, leading to an incident in Stuttgart where strikers were met by US tanks ("Stuttgarter Vorfälle"). Only after the wage-freeze was abandoned, Deutschmark and free-ranging prices were accepted by the population.<ref>Jörg Roesler: Die Stuttgarter Vorfälle vom Oktober 1948. Zur Entstehung der Sozialen Marktwirtschaft in der Bundesrepublik Deutschlands, in: [[Jahrbuch für Forschungen zur Geschichte der Arbeiterbewegung]], No I/2007; Uwe Fuhrmann: Stuttgart 48 und die soziale Marktwirtschaft, in: Fuhrman et. a. (eds.): Ignoranz und Inszenierung, Münster 2012</ref>

====Currency reform in the Soviet occupation zone====
In the [[Soviet occupation zone]] of Germany (later the [[German Democratic Republic]]), the [[East German mark]] (also named "Deutsche Mark" from 1948 to 1964 and colloquially referred to as the ''Ostmark''—literally ''Eastmark'') was introduced a few days afterwards in the form of Reichsmark and Rentenmark notes with adhesive stamps to stop the flooding in of Reichsmark and Rentenmark notes from the West. In July 1948, a completely new series of East German mark banknotes was issued.

====''Bank deutscher Länder'' and the ''Deutsche Bundesbank''====
Later in 1948, the ''[[Bank deutscher Länder]]'' ("Bank of the German States") assumed responsibility, followed in 1957 by the {{lang|de|[[Deutsche Bundesbank]]|italic=no}}. The Deutsche Mark earned a reputation as a strong [[store of value]] at times when other national currencies succumbed to periods of [[inflation]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} It became a source of national pride and an anchor for the country's economic prosperity,{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} particularly during the years of the ''[[Wirtschaftswunder]]'' in the 1950s.

===Currency union with the Saarland===
The population in the [[Saar (protectorate)|Saar Protectorate]] rejected in a referendum the proposal to turn it into a "European territory". Despite French pre-referendum claims that a "no" vote would mean that the Saar would remain a French [[protectorate]] it in fact resulted in the incorporation of the Saar into the [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] on 1 January 1957. The new German [[States of Germany|member state]] of the [[Saarland]] maintained its currency, the [[Saar franc]], which was in a currency union at par with the [[French franc]]. On 9 July 1959 the Deutsche Mark replaced the Saar franc at a ratio of 100 francs = DM&nbsp;0.8507.

===German reunification===
The Deutsche Mark played an important role in the [[German reunification|reunification]] of Germany. It was introduced as the official currency of [[German Democratic Republic|East Germany]] in July 1990, replacing the [[East German mark]] (''Mark der DDR''), in preparation for unification on 3 October 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=East German phantom banknotes – DW – 11/03/2014 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/east-germanys-phantom-banknotes/a-18001532 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> East German marks were exchanged for Deutsche Marks at a rate of 1:1 for the first M&nbsp;4,000 and 2:1 for larger amounts. Before reunification, each citizen of East Germany coming to West Germany was given ''Begrüßungsgeld'' (welcome money),<ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=1989: Begrüßungsgeld für DDR-Bürger {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/deutsche-einheit/mauerfall/westgeld-begruessungsgeld-100.html |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> a per capita allowance of DM&nbsp;100 in cash. The government of Germany and the Bundesbank were in major disagreement over the exchange rate between the East German mark and the German mark.

France and the United Kingdom were opposed to German reunification, and attempted to influence the [[Soviet Union]] to stop it.<ref name="Times2009.9.11">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/thatcher-told-gorbachev-britain-did-not-want-german-reunification-vwjg8nq375j |title=Thatcher told Gorbachev Britain did not want German reunification|access-date=April 30, 2022 |date=September 11, 2009 |first=Michael|last= Binyon |publisher=Times |location=London }}</ref> However, in late 1989 France extracted German commitment to the [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union|Monetary Union]] in return for support for German reunification.<ref name="DW-world2009.11.08">{{cite web |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4861759,00.html |title=Germany's neighbors try to redeem their 1989 negativity |author=Ben Knight |date=2009-11-08 |access-date=2009-11-09 |work=Deutsche Welle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111174630/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4861759,00.html |archive-date=2009-11-11 }}</ref>

==Stability==
The German mark had a reputation as one of the world's most stable currencies; this was based on the [[monetary policy]] of the ''Bundesbank''. The policy was "hard" in relation to the policies of certain other central banks in Europe. The "hard" and "soft" was in respect to the aims of inflation and political interference. This policy was the foundation of the [[European Central Bank]]'s present policy{{clarify |reason=For quite some time the ECB has been accused by German politicians and economists for abandoning this idea in favor of a softer euro and supposedly politicized decisions like QE. Referring to a "present" policy seems to be outdated or a POV statement, judged differently by various observers.  Referring to an initial policy or the treaty framework governing it seems to be more appropriate and less controversial.|date=January 2018}} towards the euro. The German mark's stability was greatly apparent in 1993, when speculation on the French franc and other European currencies caused a change in the [[European Exchange Rate Mechanism]]. However, it should be remembered that "hard" is relative only if it is compared to other currencies, as in its 53-year history, the purchasing power of the German mark was reduced by over 70%.

==Coins==
The first Deutsche Mark coins were issued by the {{lang|de|[[Bank deutscher Länder]]}} in 1948 and 1949. From 1950, the inscription {{lang|de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland}} (Federal Republic of Germany) appeared on the coins. These coins were issued in denominations of 1pf, 2pf, 5pf, 10pf, and 50pf. The 1pf and 2pf coins were struck in bronze clad steel (although during some years the 2pf was issued in solid bronze) while 5pf and 10pf were brass clad steel and the 50-pfennig was in [[cupronickel]]. In 1950, cupronickel DM1 coins were released, while a cupronickel DM2 and a .625 silver DM5 were released in 1951. Cupronickel replaced silver in the DM5 in 1975. The DM2 and DM5 coins have often been used for commemorative themes, though typically only the generic design for the DM5 is intended for circulation. Commemorative silver DM10 coins have also been issued which have periodically found their way into circulation. Unlike other European countries, Germany retained the use of the smallest coins (1pf and 2pf) until adoption of the euro.
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; font-size:90%; border-width:1px;"
! colspan=10 | Coins of the Deutsche Mark<ref name="bundesbank_coins">{{cite web |url=https://www.bundesbank.de/en/tasks/cash-management/dm-banknotes-and-coins/-/dm-coins-intended-for-circulation-623716 |title=Deutsche Mark coins - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |year=2021 |publisher=[[Deutsche Bundesbank]] (FAQ) |access-date=2 June 2021 }}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2 | Image
! rowspan=2 | Value
! colspan=4 | Technical parameters
! colspan=3 | Description
! rowspan=2 | Issued<br/>from
|-
! Diameter<br/>(mm)
! Mass<br/>(g)
! colspan=2 | Composition
! Edge
! Obverse<ref name="bbank robverse">{{cite web|url=http://www.bundesbank.de/bibliothek/bibliothek_sammlung_bildarchiv_mbrd.en.php|title=Coins of the Federal Republic of Germany|work=Coin and banknote collection|access-date=2 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708095434/http://www.bundesbank.de/bibliothek/bibliothek_sammlung_bildarchiv_mbrd.en.php|archive-date=8 July 2009}}</ref>
! Reverse
|-
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=2 | 1 pf
| rowspan=2 align=center | 16.5
| rowspan=2 align=center | 2.00
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:#e0954f;"|
| [[Bronze]]-plated<br/>[[steel]]
| rowspan=6 | Smooth
| rowspan=6 | Rye stalks; value
| rowspan=6 | Oak branch; lettering:<br/>''Bundesrepublik Deutschland'';<br/>value
| 1948–1949
|-
| [[Copper]]-plated<br/>[[steel]]
| 1950–2001
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=2 | 2 pf
| rowspan=2 align=center | 19.25
| align=center | 3.25
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:#e0954f;"|
| [[Bronze]]
| 1949–1968
|-
| align=center | 2.90
| [[Copper]]-plated<br/>[[steel]]
| 1968–2001
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| 5 pf
| align=center | 18.50
| align=center | 3.00
| style="background-color:#ffe550;"|
| rowspan=2 | [[Brass]]-plated<br/>[[steel]]
| 1949–2001
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| 10 pf
| align=center | 21.50
| align=center | 4.00
| style="background-color:#ffe550;"|
| 1949–2001
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=2 | 50 pf
| rowspan=2 align=center | 20.00
| rowspan=2 align=center | 3.50
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:#dcdcdc;"|
| rowspan=5 | [[Cupronickel]]
| Reeded
| rowspan=2 | Value; lettering:<br/>''Bundesrepublik Deutschland''
| rowspan=2 | Sower with an oak seedling<ref>The sculptor Richard Martin Werner designed the woman relief after his wife [[:de:Gerda Johanna Werner|Gerda Johanna Werner]] {{in lang|de}}.</ref>
| 1949–1971
|-
| Smooth
| 1972–2001
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| DM&nbsp;1
| align=center | 23.50
| align=center | 5.50
| style="background-color:#dcdcdc;"|
| Ornamental
| Oak leaves;<br/>value; year of issue
| rowspan=2 | [[German eagle]]; lettering:<br/>''Bundesrepublik Deutschland''
| 1950–2001
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=8 | DM&nbsp;2
| align=center | 25.50
| rowspan=8 align=center | 7.00
| rowspan=8 style="background-color:#dcdcdc;"|
| rowspan=9 | Lettering:<br/>{{small|EINIGKEIT UND<br/>RECHT UND<br/>FREIHEIT}};<br/> oak leaves
| Rye stalks and grapes; value
| 1951–1956
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=7 align=center | 26.75
| [[Max Planck]]
| rowspan=7 | [[German eagle]]; value;<br/>year of issue; lettering:<br/>''Bundesrepublik Deutschland''
| 1957–1971
|-
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=6 | [[:de:Magnimat|Magnimat]]:<br/>{{small|[[Cupronickel]]-<br/>plated [[nickel]]}}
| [[Konrad Adenauer]]
| 1969–1987
|-
| [[Theodor Heuss]]
| 1970–1987
|-
| [[Kurt Schumacher]]
| 1979–1993
|-
| [[Ludwig Erhard]]
| 1988–2001
|-
| [[Franz Josef Strauss]]
| 1990–2001
|-
| [[Willy Brandt]]
| 1994–2001
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| rowspan=2 | DM&nbsp;5
| rowspan=2 align=center | 29.00
| align=center | 11.20
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:#dcdcdc;"|
| [[Silver]]: 62.5%<br/>[[Copper]]: 37.5%
| Value; year of issue;<br/>lettering:<br/>''Bundesrepublik Deutschland''
| [[German eagle]]
| 1951–1974
|-
| style="text-align:center" | {{r|bundesbank_coins}}
| align=center | 10.00
| [[:de:Magnimat|Magnimat]]:<br/>{{small|[[Cupronickel]]-<br/>plated [[nickel]]}}
| Lettering:<br/>{{small|EINIGKEIT UND<br/>RECHT UND<br/>FREIHEIT}};<br/> eagles
| Value; lettering:<br/>''Bundesrepublik Deutschland''
| [[German eagle]]; year of issue
| 1975–2001
|-
|}

Unlike other countries (such as Australia) there was no attempt or proposal suggested for the withdrawal of the 1pf and 2pf coins. Both coins were still in circulation in 2001 and supermarkets in particular still marked prices to the nearest pfennig. This penchant for accuracy continues with the euro (while [[Finland]] or the [[Netherlands]] for example, price to the nearest 5 cents) with the 1-cent coin still encountered in Germany.

There were a considerable number of [[coinage of the Federal Republic of Germany|commemorative silver DM&nbsp;5 and DM&nbsp;10 coins]], which actually had the status of [[legal tender]] but were rarely seen outside of collectors' circles.

[[File:Deutsche Mark(Gold-2001).jpg|thumb|Obverse view of the 2001 special gold issue of the DM1 coin]]
On 27 December 2000, the German government enacted a law authorizing the {{lang|de|Bundesbank|italic=no}} to issue, in 2001, a special .999 pure gold DM&nbsp;1 coin commemorating the end of the German mark. The coin had the exact design and dimensions of the circulating cupro-nickel DM&nbsp;1 coin, with the exception of the inscription on the reverse, which read {{lang|de|Deutsche Bundesbank}} (instead of {{lang|de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland}}), as the {{lang|de|Bundesbank|italic=no}} was the issuing authority in this case. A total of one million gold DM&nbsp;1 coins were minted (200,000 at each of the five mints) and were sold beginning in mid-2001 through German coin dealers on behalf of the {{lang|de|Bundesbank|italic=no}}. The issue price varied by the dealer but averaged approximately US$165.

German coins bear a mint mark, indicating where the coin was minted. D indicates Munich, F Stuttgart, G Karlsruhe and J Hamburg. Coins minted during the [[World War II|Second World War]] include the mint marks A (Berlin) and B (Vienna). The mint mark A was also used for German mark coins minted in Berlin beginning in 1990 following the reunification of Germany. These mint marks have been continued on the [[German euro coins]].

Between 1 July 1990 (the [[Deutsche Mark#The DM's role in German reunification|currency union with East Germany]]) and 1 July 1991, East German coins in denominations up to 50 {{lang|de|pfennig|italic=no}}s continued to circulate as Deutsche Mark coins at their face value, owing to a temporary shortage of small coins. These coins were legal tender only in the territory of the former East Germany.

===Colloquial expressions===
In colloquial German the 10pf coin was sometimes called a {{lang|de|[[groschen]]}} (compare: [[groat (coin)|groat]]). Likewise, {{lang|de|sechser}} ('sixer') could refer to a coin of 5pf. Both colloquialisms refer to several pre-1871 currencies of the previously independent [[states of Germany|states]] (notably [[Prussia]]), where a {{lang|de|groschen|italic=no}} was subdivided into 12 {{lang|de|pfennig|italic=no}}s, hence half a {{lang|de|groschen|italic=no}} into 6. After 1871, 12 old {{lang|de|pfennig|italic=no}}s would be converted into 10pf of the mark, hence 10pf coins inherited the {{lang|de|groschen}} name and 5pf coins inherited the {{lang|de|sechser}} name. Both usages are only regional and may not be understood in areas where a {{lang|de|groschen|italic=no}} coin did not exist before 1871. In particular, the usage of {{lang|de|sechser}} is less widespread. In northern Germany the DM&nbsp;5 coin used to be also called a {{lang|de|[[Heiermann]]}}, whereas in [[Bavaria]] the DM&nbsp;2 coin was called {{lang|de|Zwickl}} and this expression is now used for the €2 coin in the region.

==Banknotes==
[[File:FRG-2a-Allied West Germany-1 Deutsche Mark (1948).jpg|thumb|One Deutsche Mark (1948), first series, [[Allied-occupied Germany|Allied military issue]]]]
There were four series of German mark banknotes:
* The first was issued in 1948 by the Allied military. There were denominations of DM{{frac|1|2}}, DM&nbsp;1, DM&nbsp;2, DM&nbsp;5, DM&nbsp;10, DM&nbsp;20, DM&nbsp;50 and DM&nbsp;100, with two designs of DM&nbsp;20 and DM&nbsp;50.
* The second series (BdL) was introduced in 1948 by the ''Bank deutscher Länder'', an institution of the western occupation government. The designs were similar to the [[US Dollar]] and [[French franc]], as the job of designing and printing the different denominations was shared between the [[Bank of France]] and the American Bank Note Company. There were denominations of 5pf and 10pf, DM&nbsp;5, DM&nbsp;10, DM&nbsp;20, DM&nbsp;50 and DM&nbsp;100 marks. The last of the banknotes (DM&nbsp;5 and DM&nbsp;10) were phased out by 31 July 1966.
* The third series (I/Ia BBk) was introduced in 1960 by the [[Bundesbank]], depicting neutral symbols, paintings by the German painters, and buildings. There were denominations of DM&nbsp;5, DM&nbsp;10, DM&nbsp;20, DM&nbsp;50, DM&nbsp;100, DM&nbsp;500 and DM&nbsp;1,000. The series ceased to be legal tender on 30 June 1995.
* The fourth (BBk III/III a) was introduced in 1990 by the Bundesbank to counter advances in [[forgery]] technology. The notes depicted German artists and scientists together with symbols and tools of their trade. This series added a DM200 denomination, to decrease the use of DM&nbsp;100 banknotes, which made up 54% of all circulating banknotes, and to fill the gap between the DM&nbsp;100 and DM&nbsp;500 denominations. In 1997–1998, new versions of DM&nbsp;50, DM&nbsp;100 and DM&nbsp;200 were issued with improved security elements.

The notes with a value greater than DM&nbsp;200 were rarely seen. A reserve series (BBk II) was commissioned on 1 July 1960, consisting of DM&nbsp;10, DM&nbsp;20, DM&nbsp;50 and DM&nbsp;100 banknotes. 670 million BBk II banknotes in value of 25 billion marks were printed. The notes were printed between 1963 and 1974 in fear if the Eastern Bloc would start systematically counterfeiting the BBk I series of banknotes to cripple the economy, then they would quickly be replaced by emergency notes. Another reserve series for West Berlin (BBk IIa) was commissioned on 1 July 1963, consisting of DM&nbsp;5, DM&nbsp;10, DM&nbsp;20, DM&nbsp;50 and DM&nbsp;100 banknotes. 115 million West Berlin banknotes were printed, total value 4 billion marks. 15 billion marks worth of the banknotes were held in Bundesbank's custom-built [[Bundesbank bunker|underground bunker]] in [[Cochem]] in [[Rheinland-Pfalz]], the rest was stored in Bundesbank's vault in [[Frankfurt]].

===Banknotes of the third series (BBk I/Ia)===
In 1957, with [[Bank deutscher Länder]] and the states' central banks merging to form the Bundesbank, new banknotes were being designed, as "Bank deutscher Länder" on the previous series was no longer correct. The previous series' notes had been made out of less durable paper and had a rather short life. While previously damaged notes could be replaced from reserve stocks, this stock was also coming to an end, necessitating a reprint.
[[File:Warnhinweis auf einer 1000 DM-Banknote (Serie 3).jpg|thumb|The penalty for counterfeiting and forgery of banknotes (imprisonment at least two years) appeared on the upper right corner of the reverse of all third series banknotes. Note this is the post-1970 variant, featuring "Freiheitsstrafe" ("imprisonment") instead of "Zuchthaus" (roughly "hard labour prison").]]
Typical security features at the time were guilloches, a multi-level head watermark and a security thread. Note numbers that fluoresced under UV light and green, yellow, and blue. 27 fluorescent fibers embedded in the paper appeared on most banknotes; however, some specimens without these features were in circulation. Starting in 1976, banknotes were equipped with machine-readable feature - a colorless inorganic oxide mixture applied to the security thread. Banknotes featuring that were designated BBk Ia within the Bundesbank. All banknotes of the third series bore the penalty for counterfeiting and forgery on the upper right corner of the reverse, from [[Strafgesetzbuch|German penal code]] section 146: "''Wer Banknoten nachmacht oder verfälscht, oder nachgemachte oder verfälschte sich verschafft und in Verkehr bringt, wird mit Zuchthaus/Freiheitsstrafe nicht unter zwei Jahren bestraft.''" ("Who falsifies or counterfeits banknotes, or procures falsified or counterfeit banknotes and releases them into circulation, is liable to imprisonment for at least two years".

The third series banknotes entered circulation on 10 February 1961, with the DM&nbsp;20 note. DM&nbsp;100 and DM&nbsp;50 followed next year, and DM&nbsp;5 and DM&nbsp;10 in 1963. High-denomination DM&nbsp;1000 and DM&nbsp;500 followed in 1964 and 1965, respectively.

The banknotes were printed exclusively in West Germany; in [[Bundesdruckerei]] in [[West Berlin]] and in [[Giesecke+Devrient]] in [[Munich]]. The third series banknotes ceased to be legal tender on 30 June 1995, when the fourth series notes had been in circulation for 3–5 years. There were a total of five issues of the third series, main differences being the dates, and signatures of the Presidents and Vice Presidents of Bundesbank:<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zeitung|first=Süddeutsche|title=DM-Mark-Scheine mit Sammlerwert|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/euro-und-banknoten-dm-mark-scheine-mit-sammlerwert-1.502264|access-date=2021-09-23|website=Süddeutsche.de|date=17 May 2010 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=GERMANY F.R.|url=http://banknote.ws/COLLECTION/countries/EUR/GFR/GFR.htm#DEUTSCHE%20BUNDESBANK|access-date=2021-09-23|website=banknote.ws}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Issue
!Date
!President
!Vice President
!Notable other changes
|-
|1
|2 January 1960
|[[Karl Blessing]]
|[[Heinrich Troeger]]
|
|-
|2
|2 January 1970
|[[Karl Klasen]]
|[[Otmar Emminger]]
|"Zuchthaus" has been replaced with "Freiheitsstrafe" following 1969 Great Penal Code Reform
|-
|3
|1 June 1977
|[[Otmar Emminger]]
|[[Karl Otto Pöhl]]
|Machine-readable "M" feature, now designated BBk Ia
|-
|4
|2 January 1980
|[[Karl Otto Pöhl]]
|[[Helmut Schlesinger]]
|
|-
|5
|2 January 1980
|[[Karl Otto Pöhl]]
|[[Helmut Schlesinger]]
|"Deutsche Bundesbank" copyright notice with year of the denomination's first issue added on the bottom of the reverse
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+1960 series<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 1986|title=Kursfähige Bundesbanknoten|url=https://www.bundesbank.de/resource/blob/599692/abdfa7bdfea472f8985c0c2ca06076cd/mL/banknoten-ausgabe-1-data.pdf|url-status=live|website=[[Deutsche Bundesbank]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809224420/https://www.bundesbank.de/resource/blob/599692/abdfa7bdfea472f8985c0c2ca06076cd/mL/banknoten-ausgabe-1-data.pdf |archive-date=2019-08-09 }}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" | Image !! rowspan="2" | Dimensions 
! rowspan="2" |Paper color!! rowspan="2" | Main color !! colspan="2" | Description 
! colspan="2" |Date of
|-
! Obverse !! Reverse !! Obverse !! Reverse !! Issue !! Withdrawal
|-
| style="text-align:center" |
| style="text-align:center" |
| 120×60&nbsp;mm
|Green
| Green
|''[[Portrait of a Venetian Woman]]'' by [[Albrecht Dürer]] (1505)
|A branch with oak leaves and acorns symbolizes ''German nature''
| 6/5/1963
| 30/6/1995
|-
| style="text-align:center" |[[File:Banknote mit dem Nominalwert 10 Deutsche Mark (Serie 1961), Wertseite, ausgegeben 1980.jpg|frameless]]
| style="text-align:center" |
| 130×65&nbsp;mm
|Blue
| Blue
|''Beardless Young Man'' by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] (1500)
|[[German training ship Gorch Fock (1958)|Training ship Gorch Fock]] symbolizes ''German cosmopolitanism''
| 21/10/1963
|30/6/1995
|-
| style="text-align:center" |
| style="text-align:center" |
| 140×70&nbsp;mm
|Green
| Green
|''Portrait of Elsbeth Tucher, née Pusch'' by [[Albrecht Dürer]] (1499)
| A [[violin]] and a [[clarinet]] symbolizes ''the world of German music''
| 10/2/1961
|30/6/1995
|-
| style="text-align:center" |[[File:50 DM Serie3 Vorderseite aligned cropped.jpg|alt=|220x220px]]
| style="text-align:center" | 
| 150×75&nbsp;mm
|Yellow
| Brown
|Portrait of Hans Urmiller from ''Portrait of Hans Urmiller and his Son'' by [[Barthel Beham]] (1525)
| [[Holstentor]] in [[Lübeck]] symbolizes ''German civic pride''
| 18/6/1962
|30/6/1995
|-
| style="text-align:center" |
| style="text-align:center" | 
| 160×80&nbsp;mm
|Blue
| Blue
|''Cosmograph [[Sebastian Münster]]'' by [[Christoph Amberger]] (1552)
| An [[eagle]] with stretched-out wings ([[Coat of arms of Germany|Federal Eagle]]) symbolizes ''German state awareness''
| 26/2/1962
|30/6/1995
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 
| style="text-align:center" | 
| 170×85&nbsp;mm
|Yellow
| Red 
|''Portrait of a beardless man'' by [[Hans Maler zu Schwaz]] (1521)
|[[Burg Eltz]] in [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] symbolizes ''German chivalry''
| 26/4/1965
|30/6/1995
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 
| style="text-align:center" | 
| 180×90&nbsp;mm
|Yellow
| Brown
|''Portrait of Dr. Johannes Scheyring'' by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] (1529)
| [[Limburg Cathedral]] symbolizes ''[[Romanesque architecture]] in Germany''
|27/7/1964
|30/6/1995
|-
| colspan="9" |{{Standard banknote table notice|BrE=Y}}
|}

===Banknotes of the fourth series===
The design of German banknotes remained unchanged during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. During this period, forgery technology made significant advances and so, in the late 1980s, the Bundesbank decided to issue a new series of Deutsche Mark banknotes. The colours for each denomination remained unchanged from the previous series but the designs underwent significant changes and a DM&nbsp;200 denomination was introduced. Famous national artists and scientists were chosen to be portrayed on the new banknotes. Male and female artists were chosen in equal numbers. The buildings in the background of the notes' obverses had a close relationship to the person displayed (e.g., place of birth, place of death, place of work), as well as the second background picture (Lyra and the musician Schumann). The reverses of the notes refer to the work of the person on the obverse.

The new security features were: a windowed security thread (with the notes' denominations in microprinting), watermarks, microprinting, [[Intaglio (printmaking)|intaglio printing]] (viewing-angle dependent visibility as well as a [[Braille]] representation of the notes denomination), colour-shifting ink (on the DM&nbsp;500 and DM&nbsp;1000 denominations), a see-through registration device and ultraviolet-visible security features.

First to be issued were the DM&nbsp;100 and DM&nbsp;200 denominations on 1 October 1990 (although the banknote shows "[[Frankfurt|Frankfurt am Main]], 2. Januar 1989"). The next denomination was DM&nbsp;10 on 16 April 1991, followed by DM&nbsp;50 on 30 September 1991.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Linzmayer | first1 = Owen | title = The Banknote Book | chapter = Federal Republic of Germany | publisher = www.BanknoteNews.com | year = 2012 | location = San Francisco, CA | url = http://www.banknotebook.com | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120829063428/http://www.banknotebook.com/ | archive-date = 2012-08-29 }}</ref> Next was the DM&nbsp;20 note on 20 March 1992 (printed on 2 August 1991). The reason for this gradual introduction was, that public should become familiar with one single denomination, before introducing a new one. The change was finished with the introduction of the DM&nbsp;5, DM&nbsp;500, and DM&nbsp;1000 denominations on 27 October 1992. The DM&nbsp;500, and DM&nbsp;1000 denominations were rarely seen in circulation due to value and all were introduced in one step. With the advance of forgery technology, the Bundesbank decided to introduce additional security features on the most important denominations (DM&nbsp;50, DM&nbsp;100 and DM&nbsp;200) as of 1996. These were a hologram foil in the center of the note's obverse, a matted printing on the note's right obverse, showing its denomination (like on the reverse of the new [[euro banknotes]]), and the [[EURion constellation]] on the note's reverse. Furthermore, the colours were changed slightly to hamper counterfeiting.

{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; font-size:89%; border-width:1px;"
! colspan=11 | Fourth series; BBk III/IIIa<ref>[http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Bilderstrecken/dm_banknoten_der_serie_bbk_3.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714145313/http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Bilderstrecken/dm_banknoten_der_serie_bbk_3.html|date=14 July 2014}}</ref><br/>{{small|Designer: [[:de:Reinhold Gerstetter|Reinhold Gerstetter]]}}
|-
! colspan=2 | Image
! rowspan=2 | Value
! rowspan=2 | Euro<br/>{{abbr|equi.|equivalent}}
! rowspan=2 | Dimensions<br/>(mm)
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | Main<br/>colour
! colspan=2 | Description
! rowspan=2 | Printed<br/>from
! rowspan=2 | First<br/>issued
|-
! Obverse
! Reverse
! Obverse<br/>{{small|person/historical city}}
! Reverse
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:5 Mark (Obverse).jpg|65px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:5 Mark (Reverse).jpg|65px]]
| DM 5
| align=center | €2.56
| align=center | 122 × 62
| style="background:#80C080;"|
| Green
| [[Bettina von Arnim]];<br/>[[Berlin]]
| [[Brandenburg Gate]]
| 1991
| 27/10/1992
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:10 Mark (Obverse).jpg|70px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:10 Mark (R).jpg|70px]]
| DM 10
| align=center | €5.11
| align=center | 130 × 65
| style="background:#C080FF;"|
| Purple
| [[Carl Friedrich Gauss]];<br/>[[Göttingen]]
| [[Sextant]]
| 1989–1999
| 16/4/1991
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:20 Mark (Obverse).jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:20 Mark (R).jpg|75px]]
| DM 20
| align=center | €10.23
| align=center | 138 × 68
| style="background:#80E0E0;"|
| Aqua
| [[Annette von Droste-Hülshoff|Annette von Droste-<br/>Hülshoff]]; [[Meersburg]]
| [[Quill]]; [[Fagus sylvatica|European beech]]
| 1991–1993
| 20/3/1992
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:50 Deutsche Mark (Obverse).jpg|alt=|80px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:50 Deutsche Mark (Reverse).jpg|alt=|80px]]
| rowspan=2 | DM 50
| rowspan=2 align=center | €25.56
| rowspan=2 align=center | 146 × 71
| rowspan=2 style="background:#C0C080;"|
| rowspan=2 | Olive
| rowspan=2 | [[Balthasar Neumann]];<br/>[[Würzburg]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Würzburg Residence]]
| 1989
| 30/9/1991
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:50 DM 1996.jpg|80px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | 
| 1996
| 2/2/1998
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:100 Mark (Obverse).jpg|85px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:100 Mark (R).jpg|85px]]
| rowspan=2 | DM 100
| rowspan=2 align=center | €51.13
| rowspan=2 align=center | 154 × 74
| rowspan=2 style="background:#80C0FF;"|
| rowspan=2 | Blue
| rowspan=2 | [[Clara Schumann]];<br/>[[Leipzig]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Piano|Grand piano]]
| 1989–1993
| 1/10/1990
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | 
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | 
| 1996
| 1/8/1997
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:200 Mark (Obverse).jpg|90px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:200_Mark (Reverse).jpg|90px]]
| rowspan=2 | DM 200
| rowspan=2 align=center | €102.26
| rowspan=2 align=center | 162 × 77
| rowspan=2 style="background:#FFC080"|
| rowspan=2 | Orange
| rowspan=2 | [[Paul Ehrlich]];<br/>[[Frankfurt am Main]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Microscope]]
| 1989
| 1/10/1990
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | 
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | 
| 1996
| 1/8/1997
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:500 Mark (Obverse).jpg|95px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:500 Mark (Reverse).jpg|95px]]
| DM 500
| align=center | €255.65
| align=center | 170 × 80
| style="background:#FF8080;"|
| Red
| [[Maria Sibylla Merian]];<br/>[[Nuremberg]]
| [[Dandelion]], [[Geometer moth|inchworm]],<br/>[[butterfly]]
| rowspan=2 | 1991–1993
| rowspan=2 | 27/10/1992
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:1000 Deutsche Mark (Obverse).jpg|100px]]
| style="background:#000; text-align:center;" | [[File:1000 Mark (Reverse).jpg|100px]]
| DM 1000
| align=center | €511.29
| align=center | 178 × 83
| style="background:#C0A080"|
| Brown
| [[Wilhelm Grimm|Wilhelm]] and [[Jacob Grimm|Jacob]]<br/>[[Brothers Grimm|Grimm]]; [[Kassel]]
| ''[[Deutsches Wörterbuch]]'';<br/>[[Alte Bibliothek]]
|-
| colspan=11 | {{Standard banknote table notice|BrE=Y}}
|}

==Spelling and pronunciation==
The German name of the currency is ''Deutsche Mark'' ({{abbr|[[grammatical gender|fem.]]|feminine}}, {{IPA|de|ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈmaʁk}}); its plural form in [[standard German]] is the same as the singular. In German, the adjective "deutsche" (adjective for "German" in [[grammatical gender|feminine]] [[grammatical number|singular]] [[nominative]] form) is capitalized because it is part of a proper name, while the noun "Mark", like all German nouns, is always capitalized. The English [[loanword]] "Deutschmark" has a slightly different spelling and one syllable fewer (possibly due to the frequency of [[silent e]] in English, or due to English's lack of adjectival endings), and a plural form in ''-s''.

In Germany and other German speaking countries, the currency's name was often abbreviated as ''D-Mark'' ({{abbr|[[grammatical gender|fem.]]|feminine}}, {{IPA|de|ˈdeːmaʁk|}}) or simply ''Mark'' ({{abbr|[[grammatical gender|fem.]]|feminine}}) with the latter term also often used in English. Like ''Deutsche Mark'', ''D-Mark'' and ''Mark'' do not take the plural in German when used with numbers (like all names of units), the singular being used to refer to any amount of money (e.g. ''eine (one) Mark'' and ''dreißig (thirty) Mark''). Sometimes, a very colloquial plural form of ''Mark'', ''Märker'' {{IPA|de|ˈmɛʁkɐ|}} was used either as [[hypocoristic]] form or to refer to a small number of D-Mark coins or bills, e.g. ''Gib mir mal ein paar Märker'' ("Just give me a few marks") and ''Die lieben Märker wieder'' ("The lovely money again", with an [[Irony|ironic]] undertone).

The subdivision unit is spelled ''Pfennig'' ({{abbr|[[grammatical gender|masc.]]|masculine}}; {{IPA|de|ˈpfɛnɪç|}}), which unlike ''Mark'' does have a commonly used plural form: ''Pfennige'' ({{IPA|[ˈpfɛnɪɡə]}}), but the singular could also be used instead with no difference in meaning. (e.g.: ''ein (one) Pfennig'', ''dreißig (thirty) Pfennige'' or ''dreißig (thirty) Pfennig''). The official form is singular.

==Reserve currency==
{{main|Reserve currency}}
Before the switch to the euro, the Deutsche Mark was the largest international reserve currency after the [[United States dollar]].

{{Reserve currencies plot}}

==See also==
* [[Economy of Germany]]
* [[German adoption of the euro]]
* [[German euro coins]]
* [[German papiermark|German Papiermark]] and [[Notgeld]]
* [[Reichsmark|German Reichsmark]]
* [[List of commemorative coins of the Federal Republic of Germany]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Deutsche Mark}}
* [http://www.luckylukeonline.com/ Coins of the Third Reich]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/business/2001/euro_cash/spent_currencies/mark.stm Overview of German Mark from BBC online]
* [http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/projects/currency.htm Historical US Dollars to German Marks currency conversion, 1913–2005]
* [http://www.bis-ans-ende-der-welt.net/Deutschland-B-En.htm Historical banknotes of Germany] including [http://www.bis-ans-ende-der-welt.net/DDR-B-En.htm East German banknotes]

{{n-start}}
{{n-before|currency=[[German reichsmark|Reichsmark]], [[German rentenmark|Rentenmark]], [[AM-Mark]]|ratio=1 DM = 1 RM (either) below 600 RM<br />1 DM = 10 RM above 600 RM<br />and each person received 40 DM|reason=intended to protect West Germany from the second wave of [[hyperinflation]] and stop the rampant barter and [[black market]] trade}}
{{n-currency|rowspan=2|location=West Germany (incl. West Berlin)|start=21 (24 W-Berlin) June 1948|end=30 June 1990|note=except of the state of the Saarland (1957–1959)}}
{{n-currency|rowspan=3|location=Germany|start=1 July 1990|end=31 December 2001|note=[[euro]] existed as [[money of account]] since 1 January 1999, with DM coins and banknotes being the German appearance of the euro}}
{{n-after|rowspan=4|currency=[[Euro]]|ratio=1 euro = 1.95583 Deutsche Mark|reason=deployment of euro cash}}

{{n-before|colspan=1|currency=[[French franc]] and [[Saar franc|Saar Franc]]|ratio=100 Francs = 0.8507 Deutsche Mark|reason=currency union (9 July 1959), after the [[Saarland]] had joined [[Federal Republic of Germany|West Germany]] (1 January 1957)}}

{{n-before|colspan=2|currency=[[East German mark|Mark]] of the [[East Germany|GDR]]|ratio=at par up to 4000 GDR marks<br />2 GDR marks = 1 DM above 4000 GDR marks|reason=currency union (1 July 1990) preparing the [[German reunification]] (3 October 1990)}}

{{n-before|colspan=2|currency=[[Yugoslav dinar|Yugoslav new dinar]]|reason=political and economic reasons}}
{{n-currency|location=[[Kosovo]], [[Republic of Montenegro (federal)|Montenegro]]|start=1999|end=31 December 2001}}
{{end}}

{{Mark}}
{{Currency signs}}
{{Euro topics}}
{{Currencies of Former Yugoslavia}}
{{Portal bar|Europe|Germany|Money|Numismatics}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Deutsche Mark}}
[[Category:Currencies of Germany]]
[[Category:Economy of West Germany]]
[[Category:Modern obsolete currencies]]
[[Category:Currencies replaced by the euro]]
[[Category:Currencies of Europe]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Currencies introduced in 1948]]
[[Category:Currency symbols]]