1 000 000 Mark

Eschweiler and Stolberg, two industrial towns in the Rhineland coal and metals belt, issued this 1,000,000 Mark note jointly during the summer of 1923 — the precise period when Reichsbank currency was losing purchasing power faster than new denominations could be printed. Municipal and regional authorities across Germany were authorized to issue emergency money (Notgeld) to plug the gap, and the joint issuance by two neighboring towns, rather than each printing separately, is an administrative detail that sets this piece apart from the bulk of city-issued inflation Notgeld.

By the time notes in this denomination were circulating, the figure itself was nearly meaningless — within weeks, the same authorities would be issuing billions.