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500 000 000 Mark Rheinische Stahlwerke
| Issuer | Rheinische Stahlwerke A.G., Duisburg-Meiderich |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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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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| Reverse description | Plain cream paper with a simple double-rule rectangular border, printed in black. A large quatrefoil cartouche with stippled ground occupies the centre, bearing the denomination '500 Millionen Mark' in bold serif lettering. The issuer name 'Rheinische Stahlwerke' is divided across the upper corners and the place names 'Duisburg' and 'Meiderich' appear in the lower corners, all in upright sans-serif type. |
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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.