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20 000 000 Mark Henkel & Cie
| Issuer | Henkel & Cie GmbH, Düsseldorf |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Green and dark blue Notgeld on light paper, enclosed within an elaborate guilloche border composed of repeating geometric and foliate ornamental units. The denomination 'Zwanzig Millionen Mark' is rendered in large Gothic blackletter script at centre, surmounted by the word 'Gutschein' within a decorative cartouche; a ghost underprint vignette of Henkel product packaging appears behind the central text. The series letter 'C' and serial number appear in the upper corners, with the redemption text and manuscript signature of a Henkel company representative printed below the denomination. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Gutschein 20 000 000 Mark Einlösungsstellen: Deutsche Bank Düsseldorf A. Schaaffhausen'scher Bankverein Benrath Sparkassen: Benrath u. Holthausen Henkel & Cie G.m.b.H. |
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| Comments |
Henkel & Cie — the chemical and consumer goods firm still trading today — issued this 20-million Mark note in 1923 as emergency money (Notgeld) to pay its own workforce when the Reichsbank simply could not supply enough physical currency to keep pace with hyperinflation. By August of that year, the mark was losing value faster than notes could be printed and distributed through official channels, forcing large industrial employers across the Rhineland to become de facto issuers of their own money.
Printed locally by F. Zapp in Düsseldorf, this was a purely functional payroll instrument. The denomination of 20,000,000 marks, staggering by any peacetime measure, was already worth a trivial sum within days of issue.