1000 Mark Hüttengesellschaft der Rothen Erden

Hüttengesellschaft der Rothen Erden was an iron and steel works operating in Aachen, and this 1000 Mark note is a piece of corporate Notgeld — emergency money issued by private industry during the hyperinflationary spiral of 1922, when the Reichsbank's official supply simply could not keep pace with denominations rising fast enough to cover a day's wages. Companies across the Ruhr and Rhineland printed their own scrip to pay workers and keep operations moving.

Printed locally by the Aachener Verlags und Druckerei, the note never circulated beyond the firm's immediate payroll and local trade. By the time 1923 arrived, 1000 Mark had become effectively worthless anyway.