People are often confused when they stumble across German currency values with the short term "Mark". As well as sharing this common name in everyday use, some also shared the same currency abbreviations/symbols. US authors in particular often confuse Goldmark/Papiermark/Reichsmark, regardless of which period they are talking about. The following different currencies were all commonly called "Mark":
| Period & Currency Sign / Name | |
|---|---|
1873-1914: curr. "M" | offic.: "Goldmark" |
1914-1923: curr. "M" | offic.: "Papiermark" |
1923-1948: curr. "RM" | offic.: "Rentenmark" |
1924-1948: curr. "RM" | offic.: "Reichsmark" |
1949-1990: curr. "DDM" | offic.: "Mark der DDR" colloq.: "Ostmark" |
1949-1990: curr. "DM" / "DEM" | offic.: "Deutsche Mark" colloq.: "Westmark" / "D-Mark" |
1990-2002: curr. "DM" / "DEM" | offic.: "Deutsche Mark" colloq.: "D-Mark" |
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