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3 000 000 Mark Reichsbahndirektion
| Issuer | Reichsbahn-Direktion Dresden |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Size | 150 × 90 mm |
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| Obverse description | Green and black letterpress design on cream paper, framed by a continuous Greek-key guilloche border. The denomination "Drei Millionen Mark" is printed in large Gothic script across the centre, above a text body stating payment by the Reichsbahn-Kassen of the Reichsbahn-Direktion Dresden, dated 16. August 1923. Four lion-head vignettes occupy the corners, and a circular eagle stamp of the Reichsbahn-Direktion appears below the text, flanked by two manuscript signatures. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Uniform green letterpress printing on cream paper, with an outer border of small rectangular guilloche ornaments. The large numeral "3" and the words "Millionen Mark" in Gothic script dominate the centre. Two text panels, one to the upper left and one to the upper right, carry printed conditions of use regarding forgery penalties and redemption terms. |
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| Comments |
The German railway administrations became emergency money issuers in 1923 not by choice but by necessity — the Reichsbank simply could not print and distribute inflationary currency fast enough to meet payroll and operational demands. The Reichsbahn-Direktion Dresden, like its counterparts in other cities, issued its own notgeld denominated against the collateral of railway assets and the anticipated income of a functioning transit system.
Three million marks sounds extraordinary until you recall that by mid-1923 that sum would not reliably buy a newspaper. This denomination dates from a window of weeks, not months, before even it became operationally useless and higher figures took over.