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1 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtkasse Lübeck (City Treasury of Lübeck) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in dark green on white paper with a horizontal pink guilloche band across the centre. A vertical left panel carries the denomination "1 Million" in a letterpress cartouche framed by fine lathe-work ornaments. The main field bears the title "Kassenschein der Stadtkasse in Lübeck" in Gothic blackletter at the top, the denomination "Eine Million Mark" in large Gothic script across the guilloche band, and at the lower centre the circular Stadtkasse Lübeck eagle seal, the issue date "Lübeck, den 11. August 1923", two manuscript signatures, and the serial number prefix "No" followed by an asterisk, all within a multi-rule guilloche border. The printer's imprint "H. G. Rahtgens, Lübeck" appears at the lower right margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Kassenschein der Stadtkasse in Lübeck Eine Million Mark Lübeck, den 11. August 1923 Stadtkasse No * STADTKASSE LÜBECK H. G. RAHTGENS, LÜBECK |
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| Comments |
Lübeck's city treasury was one of hundreds of German municipal authorities forced into emergency currency production during the hyperinflation of 1923, when the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to keep pace with collapsing purchasing power. A million marks — the face value here — was a meaningful sum in early 1922; by the time this note circulated in mid-1923, it wouldn't reliably buy a loaf of bread.
H. G. Rahtgens was a local Lübeck printer, not a specialist banknote firm. The technical limitations of that show in the series — relatively simple typography, minimal security features, produced fast under pressure.