100 000 Mark

This note belongs to the Notgeld emergency currency phenomenon of Weimar hyperinflation — specifically the Großnotgeld phase of 1923, when municipal and commercial issuers flooded Germany with high-denomination paper because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to meet demand. Düsseldorf, as a major Rhineland industrial city under French and Belgian occupation since January 1923, faced the additional pressure of the Ruhr occupation disrupting normal economic activity and supply chains.

By the time 100,000 Mark notes were necessary, the denomination would become almost worthless within weeks of issue.