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5 000 000 Mark Reichsbahndirektion
| Issuer | Deutsche Reichsbahn, Reichsbahndirektion Karlsruhe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 000 000 Mark (5 000 000) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Deutsche Reichsbahn Reichsbahndirektion Karlsruhe. Gutschein Fünf Millionen Mark Die Scheine werden von sämtlichen Reichsbahnkassen des Direktionsbezirkes in Zahlung genommen und nach Bekanntgabe durch die Karlsruher Zeitung und durch Anschlag auf den Bahnhöfen zum vollen Nennwert eingelöst. Karlsruhe den 10. August 1923. Reichsbahndirektion 5.000.000 |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | REICHSBAHNDIREKTION KARLSRUHE 5000000 GUT FÜR MARKS |
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| Comments |
Deutsche Reichsbahn issued its own emergency currency during the hyperinflation peak of 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to meet payroll. The railways were among Germany's largest employers, and regional directorates — Karlsruhe included — were authorized to produce notgeld denominated in marks at figures that had been unimaginable just months earlier. Five million marks, enough to buy a loaf of bread for perhaps a day, depending on when in that autumn you were spending it.
Railway-issued notgeld from this period was typically redeemed quickly and destroyed, which keeps surviving examples genuinely uncommon despite the enormous quantities originally printed.