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| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Königswinter (City of Königswinter) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| In circulation to | 1923 |
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| Obverse description | Notgeld voucher printed in brown on cream paper, enclosed within an ornamental border of repeating foliate and geometric motifs. The large denomination "2 Millionen Mark" is set in bold letterpress at centre, above a block of small-type legal text stating the conditions of acceptance and redemption; the series designation and serial number appear at upper left, flanked by small decorative vignettes. The date "Königswinter, 27. August 1923" and the manuscript signature of the Bürgermeister appear at the lower portion of the note. |
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| Obverse lettering | Gutschein der Stadt Königswinter über 2 Millionen Mark Gedeckt durch Hinterlegung von Reichsbankscheks und Reichsbanknoten. Dieser Gutschein wird von der Stadtkasse, der Sparkasse der Stadt Königswinter und der Königswinterer Bank in Königswinter in Zahlung genommen. Er verliert seine Gültigkeit durch Aufruf mit 14tägiger Frist im 'Echo Des Siebengebirges' jedoch nicht von dem 1. November 1923. Die Stadtgemeinde Königswinter haftet für seine Einlösung. Königswinter, 27. August 1923 (Translation: Voucher from the City of Königswinter for 2 Million Mark Covered by the deposit of Reichsbank cheques and Reichsbank bills. This voucher is accepted in payment by the city treasury, the Königswinter savings bank and the Königswinterer Bank in Königswinter. It loses its validity by being advertised in the "Echo Des Siebengebirges" with 14 days' notice, but not from November 1, 1923. The municipality of Königswinter is liable for its redemption. Königswinter, August 27, 1923) |
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| Comments |
Königswinter was a small Rhine town with no professional printing infrastructure, which is exactly the problem with notes like this one. Issued at the height of the 1923 hyperinflation, when municipal and district authorities across Germany were authorized to produce emergency Notgeld simply to keep commerce moving, these local issues were often printed on whatever press and paper stock was available — quality control was an afterthought.
Two million marks sounds extraordinary; by August 1923 it bought roughly a loaf of bread.