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5 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | City of Rastatt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 000 000 000 Mark (5 000 000 000) |
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| Obverse description | Orange and black letterpress notgeld on plain paper, enclosed within a decorative black border of interlocking geometric motifs. The central field carries an orange guilloche underprint of concentric wave patterns, over which the large numeral '5' appears in relief at both left and right; the municipal coat of arms of Rastatt — a divided shield with diagonal stripe and lozenge device — is placed centrally between the two numerals. The denomination in words, issue date, and an authorising manuscript signature of the Lord Mayor appear in the lower portion of the design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | GUTSCHEIN DER STADT RASTATT FÜNF MILLIARDEN MARK RASTATT, 23 OKTOBER 1923 DER OBERBÜRGERMEISTER (Translation: VOUCHER FROM THE CITY OF RASTATT FIVE BILLION MARKS RASTATT, 23 OCTOBER 1923 THE LORD MAYOR) |
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| Comments |
Rastatt's five-billion mark note is a product of the catastrophic hyperinflation of late 1923, when German municipal authorities were compelled to issue their own emergency currency — Notgeld — simply to meet payroll and keep local commerce functional. By October of that year, the Reichsbank's printing capacity could not keep pace with the collapsing value of the mark, and towns across Baden scrambled to fill the void.
Local printer Greiser handled production entirely in Rastatt, which was unusual enough to be worth noting — many comparable municipal issues from this period were contracted out to larger commercial printers in Frankfurt or Leipzig. The watermarked paper suggests at least a nominal attempt at anti-counterfeiting measures, though at denominations this size, forgery was hardly the pressing concern.