Timeline

• 1920-1923
• Gradual introduction of French accounting and currency:
  - 01.07.1920: Start of the conversion of salaries, prices and tariffs into French Francs, cash was not exchanged and had to be disposed off individually.
  - 01.05.1921: Conversion of postal and railway services to French currency.
  - 18.05.1923: Ordinance on the sole legal tender status of the French Franc; effective 01.06.1923.
• 30.01.1935
• Annexation of Saar to Germany:
  - 02.02.1935: Ordinance on the ban of currency the export and payments to external, initiated the withdrawal of French money and exchange at a rate of 16.45 German Reichsmark = 100 French Francs; effective immediately
  - 25.02.1935: Ordinance on the sole legal tender status of the German Reichsmark; effective 01.03.1935.

Timeline

• 05.06.1947
• French ordinance [No. 47-1003] on the creation of an economic mission under the authority of the military governor; effective immediately.
• 07.06.1947
• Ordinance [No. 94] and administrative decree [No. 217] of the Military Authorities of the French occupation zone on the issuance of distinct paper money replacing the Reichsmark banknotes on par; effective 16.06.1947
• 16.06.1947
• Start of currency exchange::
  - 16.06.1947: Start of issuance of the new paper money:
  - Per person, up to 300 Reichsmark were exchanged into Saar Mark notes immediately, excess amounts were registered against receipt which could be used for transfer of the money to a bank account.
  - 22.06.1947: End of conversion period and demonetization of the Reichsmark banknotes.

Valuation Regimes

• 1947
• Identical with the German Reichsmark (the Saar Mark was not a separate currency)

Timeline

• 15.11.1947
• French law [47-2158] and decree [No. 47-2170] on the introduction of the French accounting and currency; effective 20.11.1947 (by administrative decree of 19.11.1947)
• 20.11.1947
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 20.11.1947: Start of issuance of the Saar Franc banknotes
  - Cash was exchanged without limit, deposits above 8'000 Saar Francs were partly (40%) blocked and released gradually.
  - 14.01.1948: End of exchange period and demonetization of the Saar Mark.
• 07.07.1954
• Law [No. 419] on the issuance of subsidiary coins of 100, 50, 20, 10 Saar Francs; effective immediately

Valuation Regimes

• 1947-1959
• Identical to the French Franc (the Saar Franc was not a separate currency)

Timeline

• 01.01.1957
• Saar joined the Federal Republic of Germany after a referendum on 20.10.1955
• 03.07.1959
• Ordinances of the Joint Currency Commission on the introduction of the German currency at a rate of 100 Saar Francs = 0.8507 German Mark (1948); effective 06.07.1959:
  - Ordinance [No. 1] on the exchange rate and the exchange period
  - Ordinance [No. 2] on the exchange and conversion procedures
  - Ordinance [No. 3] on the exchange of French subsidiary coins
  - Ordinance [No. 4] on the responsibility of the commercial banks at the currency exchange
  - Ordinance [No. 5] on the organization and authority of the Joint Currency Commission.
• 06.07.1959
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 06.07.1959: Start of withdrawal of French and Saar Banknotes and coins and conversion of deposits
  - 10.07.1959: End of exchange period for paper money and coins above 100 Francs (17.07.1959 for low-valued subsidiary coins).