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10 000 000 Mark Reichsbahndirektion
| Issuer | Deutsche Reichsbahn, Reichsbahndirektion Karlsruhe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Cream-toned note with an overall fine guilloche underprint of repeating scroll and wing motifs filling the entire field. At upper centre, the issuer's name and the word 'Gutschein' are set in Gothic Fraktur letterpress; the large denomination legend 'Zehn Millionen Mark' in bold blackletter runs diagonally across the centre, overlying a hexagonal vignette of a figural scene with kneeling and standing figures in a domestic or charitable setting. A serial number in red appears at upper left alongside a series letter, with a denomination cartouche bearing '10 Millionen Mark' in a decorative panel at right. Below the central vignette, a block of text sets out redemption conditions, dated 'Karlsruhe, den 20. August 1923', with the issuing authority 'Reichsbahndirektion' and a manuscript signature. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in grey-green on cream paper, entirely covered by an intricate guilloche lace-pattern underprint composed of fine scrollwork, floral clusters, and foliate arabesques. At centre, a large oval cartouche encloses the numeral '10' above the denomination legend 'Millionen Mark' in Gothic Fraktur script. Symmetrical bouquets of stylised daisy-like flowers flank the cartouche on either side, and a fine ornamental border of interlocking geometric and foliate elements frames the entire design. |
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| Comments |
The Deutsche Reichsbahn issued its own emergency currency during the hyperinflation peak of 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print and distribute legal tender fast enough to meet wage demands. The Reichsbahndirektion Karlsruhe — one of several regional rail directorates that issued notgeld independently — needed to pay workers weekly, sometimes daily, in denominations that kept pace with a collapsing currency. By the time a 10,000,000 Mark note was printed, its real value had likely already eroded before it reached the payroll window.
Railway-issued notgeld from this period is regionally specific and was never intended for general commercial circulation.