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| Issuer | Stadt Pforzheim (City of Pforzheim) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
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| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 MILLIONEN NOTGELD MILLIONEN 5 DER STADT PFORZHEIM FÜNF MILLIONEN MARK Die Scheine werden von den städtischen Kassen zum Nennwert in Zahlung genommen und in den Pforzheimer Zeitungen zur Einlösung aufgerufen. Der Oberbürgermeister Pforzheim, den 21. August 1923 5.000.000MK |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 5 MILLIONEN MILLIONEN 5 5.000.000MK FÜNF MILLIONEN MARK 5.000.000 Wer Kassenscheine nachmacht oder verfälscht, oder nachgemachte oder verfälschte sich verschafft u. in Verkehr bringt, wird mit Zuchthaus nicht unter zwei Jahren bestraft. |
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| Comments |
Pforzheim issued its own emergency currency — Notgeld — like hundreds of German municipalities scrambling to fill the void left by Reichsbank notes that became worthless faster than they could be printed. By mid-1923, the hyperinflation had progressed to the point where denominations in the millions were functionally small change; a 5,000,000 Mark note from this period would have bought little more than a loaf of bread, if that.
Municipal issues like this were produced locally, often by whatever printer had paper and ink available. Pforzheim, a city built on the jewelry and watchmaking trades, had the industrial infrastructure to manage local print runs without outside contracting.