P22 Dollars

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P22 Dollars were inspired by a variety of things (from S&H Green stamps to store coupons), but mostly they were inspired by German and Austrian “Notgeld” of the 1920s. Notgeld was “emergency money” produced by small towns and private companies to counter and keep up with the hyper-inflation of the official money. Inflation rose more quickly than money could be printed. By November 1923, one US dollar was equal to over 4,000,000,000,000 marks. The variety and range of the artwork on these desperate banknotes is tremendous. Designs range from simple one-color, poorly printed notes to beautifully elaborate, multi-color engraved bills. One series was designed in a modernist style by Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer.

Rather than emulate the astronomical values of Notgeld, P22 Dollars have fixed their value to the equivalent of the slightly less volatile US dollar. The look of P22 Dollars was left to the individual designers to portray their own idea of currency using P22 fonts and ornaments to achieve the end result. Thee P22 Dollars thus became miniature type specimens. They were sent out with P22 mail-order sales and could be redeemed for future purchases. Because of the attention to detail by the designers of these notes, a certain level of collectibility has occurred, and people often kept the notes rather than redeem them. Rumors of early P22 Dollars selling for over $100 at auction have yet to be confirmed.

Series One features five different designs, and Series Two (Green, Black and White) includes eight additional designs.

Printing by Petit Printing, Buffalo. Crash numbering by Bill Moran of Blinc Publishing, St Paul.