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5 000 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | City of Kiel (Notgeld) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 1923 |
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| Obverse description | Typeset notgeld note printed in brown on a pale ochre guilloche underprint. The central text panel is enclosed within a decorative border of interlocking scrollwork, with two oval medallions on each side bearing the municipal coat of arms of Kiel and the numeral '5' within wavy-line frames. The denomination 'FÜNF BILLIONEN MARK' is set in large bold letterpress type at centre, above the issue date and four manuscript signatures with their respective official titles. The printer's imprint 'H. O. Persiehl, Hamburg' appears at the foot of the note, with a six-digit serial number at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, showing only a faint show-through of the obverse design visible through the thin paper stock. |
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| Comments |
Kiel's five trillion mark note dates from the absolute peak of Weimar hyperinflation — by November 1923, the Reichsbank's own presses could not keep pace with demand, forcing municipalities across Germany to issue emergency Notgeld denominated in figures that would have been unimaginable eighteen months earlier. Kiel, as a major naval port and administrative center of Schleswig-Holstein, was among hundreds of cities legally authorized to supplement official currency during this period.
H. O. Persiehl was a Hamburg commercial printer regularly contracted for northern German Notgeld runs — workmanlike production, not a prestige job. At these denominations, notes were often spent within hours of issue before prices rose again.