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50 000 000 Mark Opladen
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Opladen (City of Opladen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 000 000 Marks (50 000 000) |
| 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 |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cream paper note printed in dark brown, with the text 'GUTSCHEIN DER STADT OPLADEN' repeated as an underprint across the top and bottom margins. A decorative letterpress border with ornamental corner pieces and geometric patterning frames the central text field, which carries the denomination 'FÜNFZIG MILLIONEN MARK' in large bold capitals. At lower left, an embossed watermark vignette of the Opladen municipal coat of arms is visible, while the date 'Opladen, 2. September 1923' and the Mayor's manuscript signature appear in the lower portion of the note, with a serial number applied vertically along the right margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Opladen was a small industrial town in the Rhineland — today absorbed into Leverkusen — and like hundreds of German municipalities in the summer and autumn of 1923, it was forced to print its own emergency currency simply to meet weekly payrolls. The Reichsmark was losing value faster than the Reichsdruckerei could supply notes. By the time 50-million-Mark denominations were necessary, the inflation had already rendered earlier municipal issues worthless within days of printing.
The watermarked paper is worth noting: at this stage of the crisis, many Notgeld issuers had abandoned security features entirely in favor of raw output speed. That Opladen retained a watermark suggests either advance-ordered stock or a printer still working from pre-crisis supply.