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1/4 Million Mark - Westfalen Freiherr vom Stein
| Issuer | Provinz Westfalen (Province of Westphalia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 250 000 Mark (250 000) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A rearing horse facing right, rendered in bold relief, occupies the central field, serving as the traditional heraldic symbol of Westphalia. To the left of the horse, the denomination '1/4 Million Mk.' is inscribed in Fraktur blackletter characters. The surrounding legend, also in Fraktur, reads 'Notgeld der Provinz Westfalen' with the date '1923' placed at the base, flanked by lozenge stops. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A bare-headed left-facing bust of Heinrich Friedrich Karl Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein, the celebrated Prussian statesman and reformer, is depicted in high relief at the center of the field. The circumferential legend in Fraktur blackletter reads 'Minister vom Stein • Deutschlands Führer in schwerer Zeit', identifying the subject as a leader of Germany in difficult times. His birth and death years, '1757–1831', are incorporated into the legend at the lower left. |
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| Additional information |
Westphalia issued this piece in August 1923, at the precise moment when Germany's hyperinflation was accelerating beyond any rational planning horizon. Provincial and municipal authorities across the Reich were printing Notgeld not out of choice but necessity — the Reichsbank simply could not produce coin fast enough to keep pace with collapsing purchasing power. A quarter-million marks was a meaningful sum in early 1923; by November it would not buy a postage stamp.
The choice of Freiherr vom Stein as the honorific subject was deliberate regionalism — the Prussian reformer was born in Nassau but his administrative career was deeply tied to Westphalian governance.