The twenty Mark note

 

We recently watched a YouTube talk by Elder Bednar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGS45Fd9nmE&t=840s

In it he described an event that happened on his mission in 1972. Elder Boyd K. Packer was visiting the mission and needed to go to Berlin to visit that mission. He was unable to fly because his flight was cancelled. They had to take the train instead. Elder Bednar gave Elder Packer a 20 Mark note because he thought that he and his wife might need some money to buy some food.
When they got to the East German border, they had to present their passports. Elder Packer’s passport was in order, but his wife’s passport was a 3-year passport that was extended to 5 years. The East German government did not recognize this type of passport and would take the holder off the train. Elder Packer gave both passports and the 20 Mark note to the guard and later the guard returned the passports without the money. They arrived safely in Berlin. I doubt that Elder Packer knew rhe value of the 20 Marks.

What Elder Bednar did not explain was that the exchange rate at that time was $1 was worth 4.23 West German marks. I am unable to find the exchange rate of West German currency to East German marks, but when I was in Berlin it was 5 to 1. That means that that 20 Mark bill was worth 100 East German Marks. If I can estimate that money would be 3+ weeks’ pay.

 

I reached out to my contact in Berlin, and this is the information that he sent.

Here is what I could find regarding the salary of East German soldiers:

 

https://home.snafu.de/veith/besoldun.htm

 

About the exchange rate between German – later West-German - Marks and the US Dollar I can say that it stayed mainly the same between ca. late 1923 and about 1973, i. e. about 4,23 Marks / DM for 1 USD. If I remember correctly, this was something that was fixed after the end of the German inflation in late 1923. Only after 1973 was there a free exchange agreed upon rate that varied depending on the market.

 

The East German Mark had about the same value as you experienced it until about 1989, although at times its value was less, depending on certain political and economic situations. For the East German authorities, the official rate was 1:1, but that was politically motivated without any relation to the economic reality. Only after 1989 did the exchange rate plunge down to about 1:8 or even 1:10, making it very easy for West Germans to buy things in the east until the currency reunification on July 1, 1990.

 I hope this helps you somewhat.

While I was on my mission 1954-1957, I traveled by train from Hildesheim through the East Zone to Berlin in January 1955. We were not allowed to open the window shades or look out the windows and had to have a travel permit issued by the Russian commander in East Berlin.

I then traveled by train from Berlin to Bern, Switzerland and back with the same restrictions when I went to the temple dedication. Then later again from Berlin to Flensburg by train.

When Clark was released in 1980, we bought a car and drove through East Germany to Berlin and back. Clark said that it was like going from technicolor to black and white. The exchange rate was about the same at that time. We also had to show our passports at the border in Helmstedt.

The next time we went to Berlin the wall was down and we could travel without restrictions.