Catalog
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| Issuer | Badische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse consists entirely of the original 20 Millionen Mark underprint design in teal, dominated by a large central guilloche rosette of interlocking geometric lacework enclosing the denomination numeral '20' in a bold Gothic script, flanked by the legend 'Millionen' in matching Fraktur. The issuer's name 'Badische Bank' repeats continuously in the outer border frame on all four sides. A diagonal red letterpress overprint in Gothic script reading 'Zwei Milliarden Mark' traverses the full width of the note from lower left to upper right. |
| Reverse lettering | 20 Millionen 20 BADISCHE BANK 20 Zwei Milliarden Mark |
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| Comments |
Badische Bank's 2-billion Mark note is not a distinct printing — it is a provisional overprint applied to existing 20-million Mark stock, the denominator having been rendered obsolete within weeks by hyperinflation accelerating faster than new plates could be prepared. This kind of surcharging was common across German regional issuers in late 1923, as Reichsbank policy simultaneously tried to stabilize the currency while regional banks scrambled to keep denominations usable at street level.
The overprint multiplies the face value by a factor of 100. By the time notes like this circulated, the daily inflation rate could render that multiplication meaningless before the note changed hands twice.