German Translation Please Cheque Receipt?

[cheshiremog]

Dear Rootschatters

A friend has passed this document on to me.  She found it in a second hand book with some other pieces of family memorabilia - can someone please translate.  I think it is a cheque or a receipt of some kind. It is dated 1891 - if it is german would it not have been written in old script ?  Or is it Austrian?

Thanks Mog

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi Mog,

The writing is usual for that time period, and it is german, not austrian.

There is also a Baden in Austria, but this one seems to the german one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6nigsfeld_im_Schwarzwald


Königsfeld (Baden) 22nd. September 1891

On 23rd. March 1892 pay this Bill of Exchange
to the account(??)  of ..................................................  the sum of
Marks one hundred and fifty in gold
Value  i.e. in gold, to the value of 150 Marks)
and charge to the account of
Mr. J. A. Demeter
in Pirna
                                     Hetero & Sons.

Pirna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirna


The writing on the side says "angenommen, J.A.Demeter" - Accepted J. A. Demeter
Bob

[cheshiremog]

Thanks Bob

I am still mystified?

Was the cheque ever cashed?
Or was it proof that a direct transfer would be or was made?

Do you happen to know what 150 marks might have been worth then?

Mog

[Berlin-Bob]

"Was it ever cashed ?" Hard to know, as the bank usually keeps cheques and bills of exchange.  Maybe the "angenommen J. A. Demeter" means that it was cashed, but I think a bank would need a more secure way of ensuring that nobody else tried to pay it in again, afterwards.

I can't find any "value of money 'then' " sites like we have for sterling, but this site gives a (little) bit of information from the cigarette industry:
http://www.mein-kleiner-rauchsalon.de/150jahre.htm
for a three room flat (living room and two bedrooms) workers are paying 10 - 90 Marks rent per year. A small workerman's house (in 1903) could cost 3000 Marks

Bob

[cheshiremog]

Thanks for that Bob

We thought 150 marks was quite a sum

Thanks for your help

[carinthiangirl]

the correct english word/translation for "Wechsel" i think is "promissory note":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promissory_note
german Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wechsel_%28Urkunde%29

was very usual by giving credit to someone as a certainity/security to get back the money in any case.