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5 000 000 Mark overstamp on 5 000 Mark
| Issuer | Finanzdeputation der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in olive-green and dark brown, with a guilloche border and repeated '5000' numerals along all margins forming a decorative underprint. At centre, a circular vignette encloses the Hamburg coat of arms — the white castle on red — surrounded by the denomination '5000 Mark'. Flanking this central medallion are two oval scenic vignettes: to the left, a view of the Hamburg waterfront with the Elbe bridges and city hall tower; to the right, a busy harbour scene with steamships and cranes. A smaller circular vignette below the central medallion contains a maritime emblem. The printer's imprint 'Verlagsgesellschaft Deutscher Konsumvereine M.B.H. Hamburg. 5' appears at the bottom margin. A bold red letterpress overstamp reading 'Gültig für Fünf Millionen Mark' is applied diagonally across the reverse, consistent with the obverse revaluation. |
| Reverse lettering | 5000 Mark Gültig für Fünf Millionen Mark VERLAGSGESELLSCHAFT DEUTSCHER KONSUMVEREINE M.B.H. HAMBURG. 5 |
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| Comments |
Hamburg's Finanzdeputation resorted to overstamping existing 5,000 Mark notes with a 5,000,000 Mark denomination in 1923 as hyperinflation made new print runs functionally obsolete before they could be distributed. The Verlagsgesellschaft deutscher Konsumvereine — a cooperative publishing house, not a traditional security printer — was pressed into service precisely because conventional printers were overwhelmed across Germany that summer and autumn.
The overstamp solution was cheaper and faster than commissioning entirely new plates. It also means the underlying 5,000 Mark note and the stamp itself may show different typefaces and ink densities, a detail that distinguishes genuine examples from later reproductions.