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500 000 000 000 Mark
| Issuer | Cities of Eschweiler and Stolberg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark brown and rose with a dense guilloche underprint of diamond lozenges. The denomination "500 Milliarden Mark" is set in bold Gothic script across the centre, with the numeral 500 at the top and repeated in the lower corners. The coats of arms of Eschweiler and Stolberg Rhl. are placed side by side in the lower centre, each identified by its city name beneath, enclosed within an ornamental cartouche. A vertical red panel along the right edge repeats the value "500 MILLIARDEN MARK". |
| Reverse lettering | 500 Milliarden Mark ESCHWEILER STOLBERG RHL. 500 MILLIARDEN MARK |
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| Comments |
Eschweiler and Stolberg, both industrial towns in the Rhineland coalfield, jointly issued this note during the hyperinflationary peak of late 1923, when municipal and commercial authorities across Germany were legally permitted to print emergency currency — Notgeld — to meet local payroll and retail demands. By the time denominations reached the hundreds of billions of Marks, the Reichsbank's own printing capacity was simply overwhelmed.
The joint issuance between two neighboring municipalities is uncommon and likely reflects shared administrative infrastructure rather than any formal monetary union. Merkelbach's catalog reference 3334 places it firmly within the documented Rhine-Aachen regional emergency issues.