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500 000 000 000 Mark Reichsbahndirektion
| Issuer | Deutsche Reichsbahn, Reichsbahndirektion Karlsruhe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed in green on white paper, the obverse carries a central vignette of the railway viaduct over the Murg valley (Eisenbahnbrücke im Murgtal), rendered in a detailed letterpress landscape composition with a train crossing the arched bridge above a rocky river gorge and tree-lined cliffs. The denomination 'Fünfhundert Milliarden Mark' is inscribed in bold Gothic blackletter script across the upper portion of the central panel, with 'Gutschein' and 'Deutsche Reichsbahn' above, and a redemption text block with the date 'Karlsruhe, den 15. Oktober 1923' and the issuing authority 'Reichsbahndirektion' overlaid on the vignette. A detachable coupon at right bears the numeral '500 Milliarden Mark' within a guilloche rosette, accompanied by an embossed official stamp; the serial number and series letter appear in red at upper left and right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | DEUTSCHE REICHSBAHN / DEUTSCHE REICHSBAHN |
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| Comments |
The Deutsche Reichsbahn issued its own emergency currency during the hyperinflation peak of late 1923 because the Reichsbank simply could not print and distribute legal tender fast enough to meet payroll and operational demands. Regional railway directorates — Reichsbahndirektionen — stepped in as quasi-monetary authorities, issuing notgeld denominated in figures that would have been unthinkable even months earlier. The Karlsruhe directorate was one of several that produced these high-denomination railway notes independently.
The embossed stamp is the sole security measure, which tells you something about both the desperation of the moment and the expected lifespan of the note — this was money designed to be spent within days, not saved.