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10 000 000 Mark linen issue
| Issuer | Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | IN HÜTTEN, DIE MAN HÄUSER NENNT, WOHNEN TIERE, DIE MENSCHEN SEIN WOLLEN, MIT HAUS TIEREN ALLERART VERMENGT UND NÄHREN SICH VON EINEM GEWISSEN KLEBRIGEN STEIN, PUMPERNICKEL GENANNT, FRANZÖSISCHES BROT U. FRANZ. KÄSE. FRIEDRICH D.G. MIT VOLTAIRE JUNI 1751 BEI WIRT RENNE IN BRACKWEDE Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld Millionen M. Bielefeld, den 9.9.23 Stadtkämmerei. |
| Reverse description | The reverse, likewise printed on white linen in orange-red and dark grey-black, carries a large central cartouche in Gothic script reading 'Zehn Millionen Mark' with the payment promise of the Stadt-Sparkasse Bielefeld, dated Bielefeld, 9.9.1923, redeemable at all cashier offices. Above the cartouche, a silhouetted vignette shows cats prowling around a domed structure labelled 'Das Ruhrkohlengebiet – Deutschlands Mausefalle,' serving as a political allegory of the Ruhr occupation. The border is filled with dense orange lace-like guilloche patterns at the corners and continuous political quotation text running along all four edges, with the printer's imprint 'Druck: E. Gundlach A.G. Bielefeld' at the foot. |
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| Comments |
Bielefeld is the only municipality known to have issued emergency currency printed on actual linen cloth during the 1923 hyperinflation — a decision forced partly by chronic paper shortages and partly by the practical reality that the Reichsbank could not supply printed notes fast enough to keep pace with daily price collapses. The Stadt-Sparkasse commissioned E. Gundlach, a local printing firm, to produce this series on white linen fabric rather than paper stock.
The 10,000,000 Mark denomination places this note squarely in the August–September 1923 window, before valuations reached the billions. Linen examples survive in higher numbers than might be expected — the material proved more durable than the paper Notgeld issued alongside it.