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20 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Reutlingen (City of Reutlingen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Tan-coloured Notgeld issued on plain paper, with a large imperial eagle watermark-style underprint spanning the full width of the note. The denomination numeral '20' is letterpress-printed in heavy black Gothic script on both the left and right flanks, with 'Millionen Mark' inscribed beneath each. A central text block in Kurrent script states the redemption clause, dated Reutlingen den 1. Okt. 1923, flanked by a circular red official municipal seal at centre. The series designation 'Reihe I' and serial number appear in red at upper left and right respectively, while bold Fraktur legends along the top and bottom borders read 'Zwanzig Millionen' and 'Stadtgem. Reutlingen'. Two manuscript signatures appear below the titles 'Oberbürgermeister' and 'Stadtpfleger'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is the show-through of the obverse printing on thin paper, presenting the entire design in mirror image without any independent printed design elements. The large denomination numerals, Gothic border legends, red serial number, red municipal seal, and manuscript signatures are all visible in reverse, confirming the single-sided letterpress production of this Notgeld issue. |
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| Comments |
Reutlingen's 20-million Mark note is a product of the hyperinflation peak of late 1923, when municipal governments across Germany were forced to print their own emergency currency — Notgeld — simply to meet payroll. By August of that year, denominations that would have seemed absurd twelve months earlier were already inadequate within weeks of issue.
The watermarked paper suggests Reutlingen drew on commercially sourced stock rather than improvised substrate, which distinguishes it from the coarser emergency printings of smaller municipalities that resorted to one-sided cardboard or newsprint.