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20 000 000 000 000 Mark Deutsche Reichsbahn
| Issuer | Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Imperial Railway) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Salmon-pink firm smooth paper with a central light green guilloche underprint. All text is printed in black letterpress, with the denomination and issuer legends arranged in structured typeset blocks across the face. The five-digit serial number is printed in red to the right, followed by an asterisk suffix. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Deutsche Reichsbahn ZWANZIG BILLIONEN MARK Dieser schein wird an allen öffentlichen kassen wie gesetzliche zahlmittel angenommen.Er kann vom 1.Dezember 1923 ab mit dreimonatiger Frist zur einlösung aufgerufen werden. Berlin den 5.November 1923 Der Reichsverkehrsminister 20000 MILLIARDEN MARK |
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The Deutsche Reichsbahn issued its own emergency currency during the hyperinflation peak of late 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print and distribute denominations fast enough to keep pace with collapsing purchasing power. Railway workers needed to be paid, and state enterprises were effectively authorized to issue notgeld-style instruments to cover wages and operational costs. The Reichsbahn's issues are among the highest face-value notes produced by any single German institution during that period.
Twenty trillion marks. By the time this denomination was necessary, the figure had lost all psychological meaning to ordinary holders.