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5 000 000 000 Mark overprint on 2 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Mannheim (City of Mannheim) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1924 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse of this Notgeld note is printed in black on white paper, with the original 2 000 000 Mark denomination displayed in large decorative Fraktur script at the top, surmounted by an ornate scrollwork header reading "ZWEI MILLIONEN." The central vignette presents a detailed line-engraved panoramic view of the Mannheim industrial riverfront, with factory chimneys, warehouses, and moored vessels rendered in fine hatching. A bold red diagonal overprint in Gothic script reading "Fünf Milliarden" (Five Billion) revalues the note, accompanied by a red serial number and issuing authority text "DER STADTRAT" with a facsimile signature. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Fünf Milliarden |
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| Comments |
By late 1923, German municipal authorities were issuing their own emergency currency — Notgeld — simply to keep wages moving. Mannheim's 2-Milliarden-Mark notes were already obsolete almost as soon as they were printed; the hyperinflation that peaked in November 1923 required denominations to be multiplied by factors that made fresh plate-cutting impractical. Overstamping existing stock was faster and cheaper than commissioning new designs, which is precisely why this note exists.
The 5-Billion overprint places it in the final, almost absurd phase of the crisis, just weeks before the Rentenmark stabilization effectively ended the emergency currency period and rendered the entire series worthless for anything except exchange at the new rate of one Rentenmark to one trillion old Marks.