The “Mickey Mouse Mark” and the “Wallpaper Mark” – The Foundation of the “Bank der deutschen Länder” in 1948

Seventy years ago, on 1 March 1948, the “Bank der deutschen Länder” (Bank of the German States) was founded in Frankfurt. It was tasked with regulating monetary policy in the western zones of occupation. Dr. Michael Kunzel, head of the numismatic collection at the Deutsches Historisches Museum, looks back at the measures leading up to currency reform in the occupied zones, which preceded the division of Germany.