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| Issuer | Handelskammer Aachen (Chamber of Commerce Aachen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Printer | Aug. Heinrigs, Aachen, Germany |
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| Obverse description | Green guilloche underprint of interlocking circular patterns covers the entire face, framed by an ornate green floral and scroll border. The issuer title 'Handelskammer Aachen.' appears at top in large Gothic lettering, with the serial number in red at upper left and the denomination value 'Mk. 2,000,000' at upper right. The central denomination legend 'Zwei Millionen Mark' is printed in large bold Gothic script over the underprint, below which a text clause in small type sets out redemption conditions, followed by the issue date 'Aachen, 10. August 1923.' at lower left, the circular Handelskammer zu Aachen dry stamp at center, and manuscript signatures at lower right above the printer imprint 'AUG. HEINRIGS, AACHEN.' |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Handelskammer Aachen. No [serial number] Gutschein über Mk. 2,000,000 Zwei Millionen Mark Dieser Gutschein wird von einem durch die Aachener Zeitungen noch näher bekannt zu gebendem Tage ab bei den Aachener Banken eingelöst. Aachen, 10. August 1923. Handelskammer Aachen AUG. HEINRIGS, AACHEN. |
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| Comments |
Aachen's Chamber of Commerce resorted to emergency currency in 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to keep pace with hyperinflation. By mid-1923, municipal bodies, commercial chambers, and private firms across Germany were issuing their own Notgeld to cover payroll — wages were being adjusted daily, sometimes twice daily, and the 2,000,000 Mark denomination reflects just how far purchasing power had collapsed by that point in the year.
Aug. Heinrigs was a local Aachen printer pressed into currency production alongside dozens of similar regional firms during this period. Quality control across such emergency runs was inconsistent, and minor typographic variations between pieces in the same series are common.