Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 000 000 000 000 Mark Reichsbanknote
| Issuer | Reichsbank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The face is printed in grey-green tones with an elaborate guilloche underprint. A large numeral '5' vignette occupies the left field, while the bold letterpress inscription 'FÜNF BILLIONEN' dominates the upper portion. At right, a vertical overprint panel in black reads '5000 MILLIARDEN', and the lower centre bears the Reichsbank eagle seal flanked by a row of facsimile signatures of the Reichsbankdirektorium members. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Reichsbanknote FÜNF BILLIONEN Mark zahlt die Reichsbankhauptkasse in Berlin gegen diese Banknote dem Einlieferer. Vom 1. Februar 1924 ab kann diese Banknote aufgerufen und unter Umtausch gegen andere gesetzliche Zahlungsmittel eingezogen werden. Berlin, den 7. November 1923 Reichsbankdirektorium 5000 MILLIARDEN (Translation: Reichsbank Note Five Trillion Mark will be paid by the Reichsbank head office in Berlin for this note to the bearer. From 1st February 1924 onwards, this banknote may be called in and exchanged for other legal means of payment. Berlin, 7th November 1923 Reichsbank Directorate 5000 Milliard) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
By November 1923, the German hyperinflationary spiral had reached a point where the Reichsbank could no longer print denominations fast enough to match purchasing power collapse. The five-trillion Mark note — P#136b — was among the final issues before the Rentenmark stabilization of November 15th ended the old currency entirely. Notes of this magnitude circulated for days, sometimes hours, before becoming effectively worthless against the next round of price revisions.
The "b" suffix distinguishes a specific signature combination variant within the series. Paper quality across the late 1923 issues varies considerably, a direct consequence of the Reich's printing contractors working under severe material shortages.