lol Im not sure. These are authentic. You can tell just by looking at the ink and paper and printing. Hard to fake or counterfit that. Google notgeld. You should get more info. I do know that after WW1 Germany was fragmented and they made these notes. When the new government formed they made new notes but inflation was crazy high. Hitler took office and started useing the metals for war weapons. Caused a shortage.
I dont blame you a bit. I gave a clerk a twenty last year and she called her manager over. It was a counterfit. I had to go to there office and a cop showed up. He checked my pockets to see if I had anymore. I didnt and he took the fake and asked where I got it. I couldnt remember exactly. Anyway he told me to be careful what bills I except. lol Lost my 20 to.
I dont know. Could be because these are hand made or made with very old machinery. We even get off center bills with our new technology. Off center collector notes are worth more. I recently sold a silver certificate that was off center.
Notgeld (German for "emergency money" or "necessity money") was special money issued primarily in Germany and Austria to deal with economic crisis situations such as a shortage of small change or hyperinflation. It was not issued by the central bank (Reichsbank) but by various other institutions, e.g. town savings banks, municipalities, private and state-owned firms. It was therefore not legal tender, but rather a mutually-accepted means of payment in a particular locale or site."Wikipedia"