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20 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Mainz (City of Mainz) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| In circulation to | 1 April 1924 |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in red and black on white paper, dominated by a large ornamental illuminated capital 'Z' in red and black Art Nouveau style occupying the left half of the note, incorporating the Mainz wheel coat of arms at its base and a circular city seal in the upper left corner. The heading 'NOTGELD DER STADT MAINZ' runs across the top in bold gothic letterpress, below which the denomination 'ZWANZIG MILLIARDEN MK.' is set in large display type. The date 'MAINZ, den 8. Oktober 1923', the numeral denomination '20 000 000 000 Mark', a serial number, and the facsimile signature of the Oberbürgermeister with the countersignature of the Bürgermeister appear in the lower right portion, accompanied by legal tender and anti-counterfeiting texts. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | NOTGELD DER STADT MAINZ ZWANZIG MILLIARDEN MK. MAINZ den 8. Oktober 1923 20 000 000 000 Mark Der Oberbürgermeister Bürgermeister. Umlaufsfähig im ganzen besetzten hessischen Gebiet Gültig bis zum 1. April 1924 Wird von allen städtischen Kassen in Zahlung genommen und durch ortsübliche Bekanntmachung zur Einlösung aufgerufen. Wer Notgeld nachmacht oder verfälscht oder nachgemachtes oder verfälschtes sich verschafft und in Verkehr bringt, wird mit Zuchthaus nicht unter zwei Jahren bestraft. |
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| Comments |
Mainz, like dozens of German municipalities in late 1923, was forced to issue its own emergency currency as the Reichsbank's printing capacity failed to keep pace with hyperinflation. This note's denomination — twenty billion marks — reflects the acceleration that occurred between August and November 1923, when values that had seemed unthinkable in the spring became routine by October. Municipal Notgeld at this scale was not symbolic; it was the only functional medium of exchange available at the point of sale.
City-issued notes of this period were printed on whatever stock was locally available, and paper quality varies significantly across surviving examples.