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5 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Magistrat der Stadt Itzehoe (Notgeld, Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 000 000 Marks (5 000 000) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on cream paper and employs a bold typographic design in the Expressionist style characteristic of German inflation-era Notgeld. The central text panel, set within a double-ruled rectangular border, carries the payment promise and issuing authority in a dynamic mix of upright and rotated lettering; flanking vertical bands at left and right repeat the denomination 'FÜNF MILLIONEN MARK' in large block capitals. A manuscript signature by the Magistrat official Rohdey appears in the lower centre, dated 'Itzehoe, 24. Aug. 23', alongside the serial number prefixed 'No.' |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in red and black on cream paper and presents a highly dramatic Expressionist woodcut-style vignette of a sailing ship engulfed in flames and tossing on turbulent seas, with waves rendered in vigorous swirling lines. The denomination 'FünfMillionen' is overprinted in large red flame-shaped lettering across the central vignette. Four corner vignettes illustrate scenes of labour and hardship, while the surrounding border carries an aphoristic text in German running along all four sides in alternating orientations. |
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| Comments |
Itzehoe was a modest Schleswig-Holstein market town of around 25,000 people when it issued this note during the hyperinflation of 1923 — the period when municipal authorities across Germany were legally obligated to fill the gap left by the Reichsbank's inability to print denominations fast enough to match collapsing purchasing power. The five-million mark figure, staggering on its face, was already insufficient for many transactions within weeks of issue; by November 1923, a loaf of bread in northern Germany cost several hundred million marks.
Local Notgeld at these denominations is frequently found with very short validity windows printed on the face — the issuing authority's attempt to prevent hoarding and force circulation before the note's value evaporated further.