1 000 000 000 Mark

By late 1923, Germany's hyperinflation had made nine-digit denominations a practical necessity rather than an absurdity. Hagen's Stadt- und Landkreis was one of hundreds of regional authorities forced to print their own Notgeld because the Reichsbank simply could not supply enough circulating currency — the presses couldn't keep pace with the devaluation cycle itself.

The embossed seal served as the primary authentication device, a tellingly low-tech solution for a note that would be worthless within weeks of issue regardless.