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| Issuer | Rheinische Stahlwerke AG, Duisburg-Meiderich |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Notgeld issue dated 4 September 1923, printed in black on cream paper with a pale red underprint border. The central legend reads 'Fünfhundert Millionen Mark' in bold letterpress within a guilloche-bordered panel, flanked by two industrial vignettes: at left, workers tending a blast furnace or molten-metal operation; at right, a locomotive or heavy industrial machine, both rendered in fine line engraving. The issuer's title appears in a framed header across the top, with a redemption notice in a lower-left text box and an expiry notice in a lower-right text box; two manuscript signatures appear below the printed issuer name 'Rheinische Stahlwerke', with the serial number and series designation printed vertically along the left margin. |
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| Obverse lettering | DIE RHEINISCHEN STAHLWERKE A.G. IN DUISBURG-MEIDERICH zahlen dem Einlieferer dieses Scheines Fünfhundert Millionen MARK Duisburg-Meiderich, den 4. September 1923 Rheinische Stahlwerke Die Einlösung erfolgt an unseren Kassen in Duisburg-Meiderich, Hilden, Essen, Wattenscheid und Marl, sowie an den dortigen Privatbanken. Der Schein verliert am 31. Dezember 1923 seine Gültigkeit. Eine frühere Aufrufung in den Tageszeitungen der obengenannten Orte behalten wir uns vor. REIHE A |
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| Comments |
Rheinische Stahlwerke was one of the Ruhr's major integrated steel producers, and like hundreds of German industrial firms in late 1923, it issued its own emergency currency — Notgeld — because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to keep pace with hyperinflation. By the time denominations reached the hundreds of millions, the notes were often worth less on the day of printing than the paper and ink consumed to produce them.
Duisburg-Meiderich was the heart of heavy industry, and factory-issued notes like this one were primarily wage instruments — printed to pay workers on payday and spent within days, sometimes hours, before the next exchange rate collapse rendered them obsolete.