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50 000 000 000 Mark Deutsche Reichsbahn
| Issuer | Deutsche Reichsbahn (German National Railway) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 000 000 000 Mark (50 000 000 000) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in orange on orange-tinted paper, the obverse carries a central vignette of a locomotive as underprint, with the denomination spelled out in full as "Fünfzig Milliarden" across the upper register. The full text of the legal tender clause and redemption conditions is set in letterpress across the body of the note, with the denomination also repeated vertically along the left margin. The issue date and the authority of the Reichsverkehrsminister appear at the foot of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Fünfzig Milliarden Deutsche Reichsbahn Fünfzig Milliarden Mark Dieser Schein wird an allen öffentlichen Kassen wie gesetzliche Zahlmittel angenommen; er kann von 1. Januar 1924 ab mit dreimonatiger Frist zur Einlösung abgerufen werden. Berlin, den 18. Oktober 1923. Der Reichsverkehrsminister DER REICHSVERKEHRSMINISTER |
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| Comments |
The Deutsche Reichsbahn issued its own emergency currency during the hyperinflation of 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to meet demand. Railway workers needed to be paid, and waiting for central bank notes to arrive was not an option. The Reichsbahn, like many large industrial employers of that period, became a de facto issuer of Notgeld at denominations that would have been unthinkable even six months earlier.
By the time fifty-billion-mark notes were necessary, the inflation was within weeks of its terminal collapse. The Rentenmark stabilization came in November 1923, rendering the entire series worthless almost immediately after issue.