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500 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Duisburg (City of Duisburg) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 000 Mark (500 000) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark brown on a pale buff ground with a blue-green tinted centre band, enclosed by a scalloped guilloche frame identical in style to the obverse. A curved ribbon banner at the top carries the denomination in Fraktur script, while the large numeral '500000' rendered in bold outline lettering fills the central field, with the word 'Mark' in matching Fraktur below it. A second ribbon banner at the foot bears the issuing city name, and the overall underprint repeats the words 'DUISBURG' and '500000' in a fine all-over pattern. |
| Reverse lettering | Fünfhunderttausend Mark 500000 Mark Duisburg am Rhein |
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| Comments |
Duisburg's 500,000 Mark notgeld was issued during the hyperinflation spiral of 1923, when municipal and private entities across Germany were forced to print their own emergency currency to meet payroll and basic transactions — the Reichsbank simply could not keep pace. Duisburg's position as a major Rhine-Ruhr industrial hub meant demand for circulating notes was especially acute, compounded by the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr that began in January 1923, which severely disrupted regional economic activity.
By the time denominations at this level were printed, 500,000 Mark bought roughly a loaf of bread — and that purchasing power was shrinking by the day.