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1 000 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtkasse der Stadt Wetzlar (City Treasury of Wetzlar) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Size | 137 x 85 mm |
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| Obverse description | Printed in dark purple on a light lilac underprint, the obverse is framed by an elaborate foliate and acanthus scroll border. A large Gothic blackletter initial 'E' occupies the left field, beside the bold denomination inscription 'Eine Billion Mark' in matching Fraktur script. Below, a letterpress text block states the obligation of the Stadtkasse der Stadt Wetzlar, dated 'Wetzlar, den 1. November 1923', with the manuscript signature of the Bürgermeister to the right; a red serial number is printed vertically along the right margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Eine Billion Mark zahlt die Stadtkasse der Stadt Wetzlar dem Einlieferer dieses Gutscheines. Der Termin der Einlösung wird öffentlich bekannt gemacht. Wetzlar, den 1. November 1923 der Bürgermeister Scharfes Druckereien, Wetzlar |
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| Comments |
This is one of the terminal-denomination Notgeld issues from the height of the German hyperinflation — one trillion marks, printed in October or November 1923 when the Reichsmark had effectively ceased to function as a unit of account. By this point, municipal treasuries across Germany were issuing emergency currency not because they had monetary authority but because they had printing presses and their employees needed to be paid in something that could buy bread before noon if not after.
Wetzlar's city treasury contracted locally with Scharfes Druckereien, keeping the entire operation within the town. Redemption was promised in future stable currency, a pledge most municipalities quietly abandoned once the Rentenmark stabilization took hold in late November 1923.