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5 000 000 Mark Reichsbahn in Bayern
| Issuer | Reichsverkehrsministerium Zweigstelle Bayern (Reichsbahn in Bayern) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress note on cream paper with a central oval vignette enclosing two allegorical figures — a standing female figure at left and a male figure at right — flanking a rectangular panel bearing the denomination 'FÜNF MILLIONEN MARK' in bold block lettering. The legend 'Gutschein' appears at upper left and a six-digit serial number at upper right. Below the vignette, a text panel in German states the redemption obligation by the Reichsbahn in Bayern and the Bayerische Staatsbank, with the issuing authority 'Reichsverkehrsministerium Zweigstelle Bayern', the date '15. August 1923', and a manuscript signature. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain cream paper printed in a pale golden-tan tone, with the denomination 'FÜNF MILLIONEN MARK' in bold block lettering repeated symmetrically at left and right. A central vignette within an oval guilloche frame presents the Bavarian coat of arms above a stylized railway bridge underprint. The printer's imprint 'CARL GERBER, MÜNCHEN.' appears in small type at lower left. |
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| Comments |
The Reichsverkehrsministerium's Bavarian railway branch issued its own emergency currency during the hyperinflationary collapse of 1923 — a reminder that the German state railway system, as a major employer and commercial entity, faced the same practical problem as every other large institution: wage day arrived faster than the Reichsbank could supply usable denominations. Notgeld issued by the Reichsbahn divisions had legal backing within their own payroll structures, though it circulated well beyond railway workers in the immediate region.
Carl Gerber was a Munich commercial printer, not a specialist security printer, and the production quality of this series reflects that. The five-million-mark face value places this firmly in the late summer or autumn of 1923, when denominations were climbing by orders of magnitude week to week.