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50 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Düsseldorf (City of Düsseldorf) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black and green on light paper, the obverse is framed by an intricate interlaced guilloche border with corner medallions and vertical green bars at each side. The issuer's name 'Stadt Düsseldorf' appears in Gothic blackletter script across the top, beneath which the denomination 'Fünfzig Milliarden Mark' is set in large decorative Gothic type with a fine guilloche underprint in teal. A red serial number and series designation 'Reihe II' appear in the centre field, with a text block below stating the redemption terms, the issue date 'Düsseldorf, den 20. Oktober 1923', and the signature line of the Oberbürgermeister; a vertical left panel carries additional validity text referencing the Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf and validity through 1 April 1924. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 50 MILLIARDEN MARKTPLATZ 1840 AUSGEGEBEN AUF GRUND DER ERMÄCHTIGUNG DES REICHSFINANZMINISTERIUMS |
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| Comments |
City-issued emergency money — Stadtnotgeld — proliferated across Germany in 1923 as the Reichsbank's own printing capacity became overwhelmed by hyperinflation. Düsseldorf's municipal authority was among hundreds of local issuers forced to produce their own high-denomination instruments simply to meet payroll and retail needs. By the time fifty-billion-mark notes were necessary, the denomination itself was obsolete within days of issue — often within hours.
Düsseldorf was under French and Belgian occupation at the time, part of the Ruhr occupation that began in January 1923. That political pressure directly accelerated the inflationary spiral this note reflects.