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5 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Heidelberg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by large Gothic blackletter text reading "Fünf Millionen Mark" set against a fine guilloche underprint on a pale green ground, with the payment obligation text and date "den 3. September 1923" below. A series letter and serial number appear in blue, accompanied by an embossed dry seal at lower left, with the manuscript signature of the Oberbürgermeister at lower right. A denticulated black border frames the note, with a validity notice printed along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse bears a woodcut-style vignette reproduced after the Codex Manesse miniature held at the Heidelberger Universitätsbibliothek, showing the medieval minnesinger Walther von der Vogelweide seated in contemplation, wearing a crowned helmet and richly decorated robes, with his heraldic shield at upper left and a crested tournament helm at upper right. A diamond lattice border frames the central image, and a caption inscription in Gothic script runs along the bottom edge. |
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| Comments |
Heidelberg's municipal administration issued this note during the peak of the Weimar hyperinflation, when the Reichsbank's own presses could not keep pace with demand and local authorities across Germany were authorized to produce emergency currency — Notgeld — to meet payroll and basic commerce. By mid-1923, five million marks would barely cover a tram fare.
The dry seal was the Stadtgemeinde's primary authentication measure, a low-technology solution for a note that was never meant to circulate for more than days before its face value became meaningless.