500 000 Mark

Fürth was one of hundreds of German municipalities forced into emergency currency production during the hyperinflation of 1923, when the Reichsmark collapsed so rapidly that central supply could not keep pace with denominations large enough for daily transactions. By the time 500,000-Mark notes were being issued at the municipal level, a single loaf of bread could cost more than the total prewar annual wage of a skilled worker.

Three civic signatures — the Oberbürgermeister and both deputy mayors — were required to authenticate the issue, an unusual redundancy that likely reflected local legal requirements around municipal debt obligations rather than any particular security concern.