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250 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in orange, green, and purple, the obverse carries a central vignette of a folk scene in which male figures support or assist an elderly man, set within an oval green cartouche surrounded by stylised wheat sheaves and foliage in an Expressionist graphic style. Large denomination numerals '250' appear in each corner, with the issuing authority inscription running vertically along both side borders and additional text across the top and bottom margins citing cost-of-living indices and economic data. Two facsimile signatures of Stadtrat officials appear at lower right, with the issue date '2.4.1922' and place name 'Stadt Bielefeld' inscribed at the base of the central design. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in orange, green, and purple, centred on a large sun-disc vignette in orange with pointed rays enclosing the bold purple numeral '250' above the inscription 'MILLIONEN MARK'. Surrounding the sun disc, a circular band of cursive purple text winds around the motif, while the remainder of the field is filled with large flowing green calligraphic script in a decorative Expressionist hand. Silhouetted figural vignettes appear at the left and right margins, and the top and bottom borders carry typeset marginal texts giving postal rates and rye prices as of October 1923, with the printer's imprint 'DRUCK: E. GUNDLACH, A.G. BIELEFELD' and legal notice 'GESETZLICH-GESCHÜTZT D.G.M.' at the foot. |
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| Comments |
Bielefeld's municipal savings bank was among the more resourceful Notgeld issuers of the 1923 hyperinflation, and this 250-million-mark denomination reflects just how rapidly the situation deteriorated that autumn — denominations that would have seemed absurd in January were wholly inadequate by October. The Stadtsparkasse contracted local firm E. Gundlach A.G. to produce the notes, which kept the entire operation within the city and allowed relatively fast turnaround as the Reichsbank's official supply chronically lagged behind the collapsing currency.
Bielefeld is also known for its linen and silk Notgeld — fabric-printed emergency issues that attracted collector attention even at the time of issue.