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20 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Düsseldorf (City of Düsseldorf) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Typographically bold design printed in dark brown on cream paper, with the large denomination numeral '20' and the word 'MILLIONEN MARK' dominating the centre field in heavy block lettering with a cross-hatched underprint pattern. The issuer inscription 'STADT DÜSSELDORF' is set below in spaced capitals, with a Fraktur-script redemption notice and date 'Düsseldorf 1. September 1923' along the lower margin. Geometric sawtooth-and-lattice border panels flank both sides, and the series designation 'REIHE 3' appears at upper left alongside a serial number at upper right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a detailed line-engraved view of a large Neoclassical public building with a prominent domed cupola, rendered in dark brown letterpress on cream paper. The denomination '20 MILLIONEN MARK' is repeated in bold type at upper left, while a Fraktur-script legend across the top references authorisation by the Reich Finance Minister. A lower inscription states that the cashiers of the City of Düsseldorf will pay the bearer 20,000,000 Mark, and the same sawtooth-and-lattice border panels used on the obverse frame the composition on both sides. |
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| Comments |
Issued during the catastrophic hyperinflation of 1923, this Notgeld denomination reflects the acceleration phase of the crisis — by the time 20-million-mark notes were being struck by municipal authorities, the Reichsbank could no longer supply sufficient currency to meet daily transactional demand, and cities like Düsseldorf were legally authorized to fill the gap with their own emergency issues.
Düsseldorf was under French and Belgian occupation at the time, part of the broader Ruhr occupation that began in January 1923 and directly worsened the inflationary spiral by cutting off industrial revenue while Berlin continued printing to fund passive resistance payments.