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20 000 000 000 Mark Vereinigung von Hamburger Banken und Bankiers
| Issuer | Vereinigung von Hamburger Banken und Bankiers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Olive-green notgeld on plain paper stock, enclosed within a dotted border frame. The centre carries a large guilloche underprint medallion from which the bold Gothic-script denomination '20 Milliarden Mark' and its numeral equivalent '(20 000 000 000 Mark)' emerge in the central field. The upper portion bears the title 'Gutschein der Vereinigung von Hamburger Banken und Bankiers in Hamburg' in letterpress, with a red serial number and asterisk to the right; a vertical column along the right margin lists all participating member banks and banking houses. The date 'Hamburg, den 24. Oktober 1923' and a manuscript signature of the issuing authority appear in the lower section, with the printer's imprint 'Charles Fuchs, Hamburg 8' at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Gutschein der Vereinigung von Hamburger Banken und Bankiers in Hamburg über 20 Milliarden Mark (20 000 000 000 Mark) wird von allen Kassen der nebenstehenden Banken und Bankiers in Zahlung genommen oder im Ueberweisungswege vergütet. Der Schein ist gültig bis 15. November 1923. Hamburg, den 24. Oktober 1923. Vereinigung von Hamburger Banken und Bankiers in Hamburg Commerz- und Privat-Bank Aktiengesellschaft Darmstädter und Nationalbank, K.G.a.A., Filiale Hamburg Deutsche Bank Filiale Hamburg Dresdner Bank in Hamburg Mitteldeutsche Creditbank, Filiale Hamburg Norddeutsche Bank in Hamburg Vereinsbank in Hamburg L. Behrens & Söhne Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. Conrad Hinrich Donner Mündimeyer & Co. & Co. Schröder Gebrüder & Co. M. M. Warburg & Co. |
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| Comments |
The Vereinigung von Hamburger Banken und Bankiers — an association of private Hamburg banks acting collectively — issued this note during the hyperinflationary peak of autumn 1923, when the Reichsbank could not produce currency fast enough to meet demand. Regional banking consortia, municipalities, and even private companies were legally permitted to issue Notgeld to keep commerce moving. Twenty billion marks sounds extraordinary; by November 1923, it would barely cover a loaf of bread.
Charles Fuchs was a Hamburg commercial printer, not a specialist security printer. The absence of sophisticated anti-counterfeiting measures reflects the reality that forgery was economically pointless — inflation rendered any note obsolete faster than a press could run.