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10 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Friedrichshafen (City of Friedrichshafen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in red-brown ink on pale paper with a serrated border. At upper centre, the municipal coat of arms of Friedrichshafen is set within decorative foliate scrollwork, flanked by the denomination numerals '10 000 000 000' repeated on both sides. A panoramic vignette across the lower half renders the lakeside townscape of Friedrichshafen am Bodensee, with a sailing vessel at left and the town silhouette with church spires and mountains in the background. The legend 'Zehn Milliarden Mark' is set in bold Gothic letterpress type, and two manuscript signatures appear below at left (Stadtvorstand) and right (Stadtpfleger), with the issue date 'Friedrichshafen a. B., 10. Okt. 1923' centred at bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Die Stadtgemeinde Friedrichshafen a. B. zahlt für diese Note 10 000 000 000 Zehn Milliarden Mark Friedrichshafen a. B., 10. Okt. 1923 Stadtvorstand Stadtpfleger |
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| Comments |
This note was issued by the municipal government of Friedrichshafen during the peak of Weimar hyperinflation — the autumn of 1923, when the Reichsbank could not supply usable currency fast enough to meet daily demand. Towns, cities, and private firms across Germany filled the gap with Notgeld, and Friedrichshafen was among the smaller municipalities to reach ten-digit denominations. By the time notes like this entered circulation, a single loaf of bread could cost billions of marks.
The currency reform of November 1923 rendered the entire series worthless within weeks of issue.