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5 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Herne (City of Herne) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Fr. Wilh. Ruhfus, Dortmund |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Fünf Millionen Mark zahlen die städtischen Kassen der Stadt Herne dem Einlieferer dieses Scheines. Herne, den 1. August 1923 Der Magistrat |
| Reverse description | Salmon-pink reverse with a continuous guilloche underprint and violet frame border matching the obverse. The denomination "Fünf Millionen Mark" is repeated in large blackletter type at centre, surrounded by wavy guilloche pattern work. Redemption and validity clauses are set in blackletter script above and below the denomination text, with the printer's imprint "FR. WILH. RUHFUS DORTMUND" in roman capitals at the foot of the note. |
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| Comments |
Herne's 5-million-mark Notgeld note dates from the hyperinflation peak of mid-to-late 1923, when municipal governments across the Ruhr were forced to print their own emergency currency simply to meet weekly payrolls. The Ruhr occupation by French and Belgian troops beginning in January 1923 had strangled the regional economy and accelerated the collapse of the reichsmark to a degree that made even large denominations obsolete within days of issue.
Fr. Wilh. Ruhfus in Dortmund was a workhorse printer for Ruhr municipal Notgeld throughout the crisis, producing notes for numerous neighboring towns under severe time pressure. By the time denominations reached the millions, print runs were prioritized over quality control.