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5 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Frankenstein (City of Frankenstein, Lower Silesia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Gutschein über Fünf Milliarden Mark Für den Betrag von fünf Milliarden Mark haftet die Stadtgemeinde Frankenstein. Die Reichsbank nimmt diesen Gutschein in Zahlung. Die Gültigkeit erlischt mit dem vom Magistrat bekannt zu gebenden Zeitpunkt Frankenstein i. Schl., den 30. Oktober 1923 Serie F Der Magistrat H. Lonsky Frankenstein Schles. |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted save for a light show-through impression of the obverse text and border visible through the thin paper stock, rendered in pale grey-blue tones against the plain cream ground. No distinct design elements or inscriptions are present on the reverse itself, confirming this as a single-sided typeset emergency issue. |
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| Comments |
Frankenstein — now Ząbkowice Śląskie in southwestern Poland — was among hundreds of German municipalities forced to print their own emergency currency during the hyperinflation of 1923. By the time denominations reached the billions, the Reichsbank's own presses couldn't keep pace with demand, and local printers like H. Lonsky were pressed into service issuing Notgeld that was often redeemable for mere days before the figures became meaningless.
Five billion Marks. Printed and spent within weeks of issue, almost certainly in October 1923 — the peak of the crisis before the Rentenmark stabilization in November cut twelve zeroes from the currency overnight.