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| Issuer | Stadtkasse Frankenthal (Pfalz) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| In circulation to | 1 April 1924 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Stadt Frankenthal. 1 Milliarde Mark. Die Stadhauptkasse Frankenthal zahlt dem Einlieferer dieses Scheins Eine Milliarde Mark Frankenthal, 10. Oktober 1923 Der Stadtrat: Die Stadthauptkasse: Lit. A Umlauffähig im ganzen Regierungsbezirk Pfalz. Gültig bis zum 1. April 1924. Dieser Schein ist aufgrund Stadtratsbeschlusses vom 3. August 1923 mit Genehmigung des Reichsfinanzministeriums ausgegeben. |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, showing only the blind impression of the obverse letterpress text and vignette elements visible as an offset through the thin paper stock. |
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| Comments |
Frankenthal's billion-mark note was issued during the most acute phase of the German hyperinflation, when municipal treasuries across the Rhineland were printing emergency currency — Notgeld — simply to meet weekly payroll. By September 1923, the Reichsbank could not supply denominations fast enough, and Stadtkassen like Frankenthal's were legally authorized to fill the gap. The Pfalz region was simultaneously under French occupation following the Treaty of Versailles, which complicated both the printing logistics and the political legitimacy of locally issued paper.
At the exchange rates then prevailing, a milliard mark bought little more than a loaf of bread for a matter of hours.