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1 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Mannheim (City of Mannheim) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Reference(s) | P#Kel:3427a.1 |
| Obverse description | Typeset note printed in black on cream paper, enclosed within a decorative border composed of repeated ornamental motifs and arrow devices at top and bottom. The denomination "EINE MILLION MARK" is set in large bold capitals across the upper field, with the numeral "1000000" rendered in large open circular digits beneath; below, the text "zahlt die / STADT MANNHEIM" identifies the issuing authority, followed by the redemption clause dated "vom 1. November 1923" and the authorising legend "DER STADTRAT". A manuscript signature of a city official appears at centre-left alongside a blind-embossed municipal seal, with the serial number printed in red at right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EINE MILLION MARK 1000000 zahlt die STADT MANNHEIM vom 1. November 1923 ab bei Übergabe dieses Scheines DER STADTRAT Dieser Schein wird bei Zahlungen an die Stadtkasse auch vor 1. November 1923 angenommen. Der Endpunkt der Einlösungsfrist wird vom Stadtrat festgesetzt und in den Mannheimer Tageszeitungen veröffentlicht. |
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| Comments |
Stadt Mannheim entered the Notgeld market aggressively during the hyperinflationary peak of 1923, issuing million-mark denominations as municipal emergency currency when Reichsbank notes simply could not be printed fast enough to keep pace with daily price movements. By the time notes of this face value were circulating, a million marks could not reliably buy a loaf of bread — the denomination was already obsolescent the moment it left the issuing office.
The embossed seal was the city's primary guarantee of authenticity, a physical authentication measure that small private issuers rarely bothered with. The watermarked paper suggests procurement from an established commercial stationer rather than improvised stock — Mannheim's municipal administration maintained a degree of bureaucratic rigor even under severe economic stress.