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1 000 000 000 000 Mark Deutsche Reichsbahn
| Issuer | Deutsche Reichsbahn |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Deutsche Reichsbahn EINE BILLION MARK (Eintausend Milliarden) Dieser Schein wird an allen öffentlichen Kassen wie gesetzliche Zahlmittel angenommen; er kann vom 1. Dezember 1923 ab zur Einlösung aufgerufen werden. Berlin, den 27. Oktober 1923. RH-2 Der Reichsverkehrsminister Eine Billion (Eintausend Milliarden) |
| Reverse description | The reverse, printed in brown, is divided into a decorative rectangular border incorporating four corner vignettes of German city skylines rendered in a fine engraved style, each with Gothic church towers and characteristic urban architecture. A large central oval cartouche framed by a laurel or grain wreath contains a panoramic view of Munich with the twin towers of the Frauenkirche rising above the cityscape, while a horizontal banner across the centre carries the motto 'Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit' in Gothic script. |
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The Deutsche Reichsbahn — the German national railway — became an emergency currency issuer during the hyperinflation of 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to meet demand. Notgeld issued by industrial enterprises, municipalities, and state institutions flooded circulation that year, and the railway was among the largest employers in Germany, with a direct, urgent need to pay wages in denominations that kept pace with collapsing purchasing power.
A trillion marks. By the time this note reached workers' hands, it would have bought progressively less with each passing day — sometimes each passing hour.