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50 000 000 Mark Tonerde-Werke Curtius
| Issuer | Tonerde-Werke Curtius A.G., Duisburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The upper portion of the note carries a detailed letterpress vignette of the Tonerde-Werke Curtius industrial complex in Duisburg, with factory buildings, smoking chimneys, and a crane rendered in a panoramic scene. The denomination '50000000' appears in the upper corners within diagonal banners, while the central text panel bears the issuer's name in Gothic script above the large ornate denomination cartouche 'Fünfzig Millionen Mark', flanked by symmetrical dragon-head ornaments and interlaced guilloche borders. The lower section states the redemption terms, the place and date of issue 'Duisburg, den 15. Aug. 1923', the issuing firm's name, and a handwritten serial number at the lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Mark 50000000 Die Tonerde-Werke Curtius A.G. in Duisburg zahlen dem Einlieferer dieses Scheines Fünfzig Millionen Mark. Die Einlösung erfolgt an unserer Kasse und beim Barmer Bank-Verein in Duisburg bis spätestens 31. Dezember 1923. Duisburg, den 15. Aug. 1923 Tonerde Werke Curtius A.G. von Jadler |
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Tonerde-Werke Curtius was an alumina and aluminum chemicals manufacturer based in Duisburg, and like hundreds of German industrial firms in the summer and autumn of 1923, it was forced to issue its own emergency currency — Notgeld — simply to meet weekly payroll as the Reichsmark collapsed faster than the Reichsbank could print. A 50-million-Mark denomination that would have seemed incomprehensible twelve months earlier was, by mid-1923, barely adequate for a day's wages.
Privately issued industrial Notgeld of this type was technically illegal under German banking law but was tolerated by authorities who had no practical alternative to offer.