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5 000 000 Mark overstamp on 5 000 Mark
| Issuer | Finanzdeputation der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Printer | Verlagsgesellschaft deutscher Konsumvereine m.b.H., Hamburg, Germany |
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| Obverse description | The obverse of this Aushilfsschein (emergency auxiliary note) of the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg is printed in dark brown and green on cream paper, with a green guilloche border framing the entire design. The denomination 'Fünftausend Mark' is set in large Gothic (Fraktur) script at centre, above a wavy guilloche underprint repeating '5000'. A serial number panel at top centre carries an alphanumeric prefix, flanked by '5000' numerals in green at the upper corners. The text body names the issuing authority and confirms acceptance by all Hamburg state cashiers and banks, dated 'Hamburg, den 1. März 1923', with two manuscript signatures below for the Finanzdeputation and the Hauptstaatskasse, flanking a circular seal of the Finanzdeputation Hamburg bearing the Hamburg castle arms. A bold red letterpress overstamp reading 'Gültig für Fünf Millionen Mark' is applied diagonally across the face, revaluing the note to 5,000,000 Mark. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Aushilfsschein der freien und Hansestadt Hamburg Fünftausend Mark Dieser Aushilfsschein wird von allen hamburgischen staatlichen Kassen und den Banken in Hamburg in Zahlung genommen. Hamburg, den 1. März 1923. Die Finanzdeputation: Die Hauptstaatskasse: Gültig für Fünf Millionen Mark |
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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.