1 000 000 Mark

Stollberg's Amtshauptmannschaft — a district administrative body in the Saxon Erzgebirge — issued this million-mark note during the hyperinflationary collapse of summer 1923, when the Reichsbank simply could not print and distribute emergency currency fast enough to meet demand. Local authorities, municipalities, and even private firms were effectively authorized to fill the gap, producing what collectors now call Notgeld der Inflation, a category distinct from the earlier 1919–1921 "collector" Notgeld issued largely for profit.

Stollberg's industrial base — textiles and mining — meant wages had to be paid in something. A million marks bought little by the time these notes reached workers' hands.