Alvak Mark

The Alvakische Mark (Teutonic: [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈmaɐ̯k], "Alvak mark"), abbreviated "AVM", and symbolized as ℳ, is the official currency of Alvakalia since its establishment as Teuton Alvaland in 1853. It was first issued in Alvaland under Teutonic rule in 1852 as the Goldmark. In Anglic, it is commonly called the "Alvamark"; although this expression is unknown in Alvakalia. Alvaks usually call it the A-Mark when referring to the currency, and Mark when talking about individual sums.

One Alvakische Mark is divided into 100 Pfennige.

In Teutonia
A mark had been the currency of Teutonia since its original unification in 18xx. Before that time, the different Teutonic states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing ​16 2⁄3 grams of pure silver. Although the mark was based on gold rather than silver, a fixed exchange rate between the Vereinsthaler and the mark of 3 marks = 1 Vereinsthaler was used for the conversion.

Post-unification (18xx-1925)
The first mark, known as the Goldmark, was introduced in 18xx. With the outbreak of the Grand Campaigns, the mark was taken off the gold standard. The currency thus became known as the Papiermark, especially as high inflation, then hyperinflation occurred and the currency became exclusively made up of paper money. The Papiermark was replaced by the Reichsmark (ℛℳ) in 1924. These changes were applied in Teutonia and its colonies.

Interwar era
As Teutonia fell to communist insurrection, its colonies of Neustrien, Schangau, and Alvaland were left floating in uncertainty. Neustrien was incorporated into the Akitei Confederation as the Imperial Akitei Protectorate of Shimakawa, and from then on would use the Akitei Imperial Kia as its currency. Schangau, although de jure part of Alva despite its geographic distance, implemented its own currency in 1925, the Schangauer Mark, which was used until Schangau's incorporation into Liaotian Confederacy in 1934. Alvaland had gained independence in 1920 with the successful passing of the Patriation Act but kept close ties with Teutonia until its downfall in 1925.

With the successful defence of Alvakalia, the Reichsmark stayed as the currency of the country until the currency reforms of 1981.

Currency Reforms of 1981
The Alvakische Mark was officially introduced on Saturday, June 20, 1981, by Dimosthenis Andrelis. The old Reichsmark was exchanged for the new currency at a rate of ℳ 1 = ℛℳ 1 for the essential currency such as wages, payment of rents etc., and ℳ 1 = ℛℳ 10 for the remainder in private non-bank credit balances, with half-frozen. Large amounts were exchanged for ℛℳ 10 to 65 Pfennig (symbolized as ₰). In addition, each person received a per capita allowance of ℳ 60 in two parts, the first being ℳ 40 and the second ℳ 20.

The introduction of the new currency was intended to protect Alvakalia from an anticipated second wave of inflation, the first of which had occurred only years before with the Yindong Crises.

Banknotes
The first paper money issued in Alvakalia denominated in Marks were Teutonic Army bills, issued between 1853 and 1855. Alvak Mark banknotes were later issued by the chartered banks starting in the 1860s, by several pre-independence colonial governments (most notably the Province of Victoria in 1866), and after independence, by the Alvak government starting in 1925. Some municipalities also issued notes, most notably interwar depression scrip during the 1930s.

On July 3, 1934, with only 8 chartered banks still issuing notes, the Alvakische Bank was founded. This new government agency became the sole issuer of all federal notes. It began issuing notes in denominations of ℳ1, ℳ2, ℳ5, ℳ10, ℳ20, ℳ25, ℳ50, ℳ100, ℳ500 and ℳ1000. In 1944, the chartered banks were prohibited from issuing their own currency, with the Imperial Bank of Alva and the Bank of Neu-Amden among the last to issue notes.

Significant design changes to the notes have occurred since 1925, with new series designs introduced in 1950, 1981, 2001, and 2011. In June 2005, newly designed notes printed on a polymer substrate, as opposed to the cotton fibre, were announced; the first of these polymer notes, the ℳ500, ℳ200, ℳ100 bills, began circulation on January 20, 2011, the ℳ50 bill began circulation on February 26, 2011, the ℳ20 denomination began circulation on October 7, 2011, and the ℳ5 and ℳ10 denominations began circulation on November 12, 2011.

Since 1935, all banknotes are printed by the Alvastadt-based Alvak Bank Note Company under contract to the Alvakische Bank. The Alvak Bank Note Company is the sole printer of Alvak banknotes.

All banknotes from series prior to the current polymer series are now considered unfit for circulation due to their lack of any modern security features, such as a metallic stripe. Financial institutions must return the banknotes to the Alvakische Bank, which will destroy them. Individuals may keep the banknotes indefinitely.

Over the course of its circulation, the Mark has had 11 series of banknotes, issued in four different stages (determined by redenominations). A 12th series will be in production by late January 2021.

Series 11 "Naval" (2011-present)
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="2"| Image ! rowspan="2"| Dimensions ! rowspan="2"| Value ! rowspan="2"| Main color ! colspan="3"| Description ! colspan="2"| Date of ! Obverse ! Reverse ! Obverse ! Reverse ! Watermark ! First issued ! Withdrawal
 * AVK-M5-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ5
 * Cyan
 * A mid-1400s depiction of a printing press.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 12 November 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * AVK-M10-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ10
 * Purple
 * Androklis Sauer, Head of the Oberkommando des Bundeswehr from 1950 to 1965. The background depicts the Olympia Column in Neutalakopo, his birthplace.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 12 November 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * AVK-M20-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ20
 * Green
 * David Vitalidis, a doctor and medical scientist who lived from 1900 to 1953. The background shows a laboratory of the Neukönigsberg David Vitalidis Research Centre.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 7 October 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * AVK-M50-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ50
 * Red
 * Haashid al-Saladin, Alvak Minister of Finance from 1976 to 1988. The background shows a street in coastal Ibrarah, his hometown.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 26 February 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * AVK-M100-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ100
 * Gold
 * Armaan al-Sultan, Federal President of Alvakalia from 1940 to 1944 and 1948 to 1956. The background shows the Empty Quarter, his ancestral home.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 20 January 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * AVK-M200-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ200
 * Grey
 * The SMS Imo.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 20 January 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * AVK-M500-banknote.png
 * (photo, reverse)
 * 152x70mm
 * ℳ500
 * Blue
 * The SMS Kaiser Adalbert.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 20 January 2011
 * 20 January 2040
 * ℳ500
 * Blue
 * The SMS Kaiser Adalbert.
 * (description, reverse)
 * (watermark)
 * 20 January 2011
 * 20 January 2040