30 000 000 Mark

Kreuznach's 30-million Mark note dates from the most violent phase of the German hyperinflation — late summer 1923, when municipal and regional authorities were legally permitted to issue their own emergency currency, Notgeld, simply to meet payroll. The Reichsbank could not print fast enough. By the time a note like this left the city treasurer's office, its face value was already eroding by the hour.

The embossed seal was the city's primary authentication device — a practical choice when sophisticated printing was neither available nor affordable at speed.