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500 000 Mark
| Issuer | Magistrat der Stadt Bochum |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in blue on plain paper, the reverse is dominated by a dense geometric guilloche pattern filling the central panel. '500 000 Mark' appears in large gothic numerals at the top of the panel, with 'Notgeld der Stadt Bochum' and 'Fünfhunderttausend' inscribed in blackletter script within the guilloche field; the municipal coat of arms of Bochum is centrally placed within the pattern. Vertical text panels flanking the main field carry authorisation and validity clauses in smaller gothic type. |
| Reverse lettering | 500 000 Mark Notgeld der Stadt Bochum Fünfhunderttausend Ausgegeben mit Genehmigung des Reichsministers der Finanzen Dieser Schein wird nach Ablauf der durch amtlichen Aufruf zu bestimmenden Frist ungültig |
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| Comments |
Bochum's municipal authority issued this 500,000 Mark note during the hyperinflationary collapse of 1923 — a period when German city and district administrations were legally permitted, then actively compelled, to print their own emergency currency (Notgeld) simply to meet payroll. The Reichsbank could not supply denominations fast enough as the mark lost value by the hour.
Municipal issues like this one were typically redeemable at the issuing treasury but worthless within weeks of printing. By late 1923, denominations in the billions had already made 500,000 Mark functionally small change.