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500 000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Esslingen (City of Esslingen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Left vignette shows a detailed letterpress view of Esslingen's Gothic St. Dionys church and surrounding rooftops. To the right, the denomination '500 000 Mark' is set in bold blackletter type beneath the issuer heading, with the date 27. August 1923. A circular municipal seal with eagle appears between two manuscript signatures at bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Stadtgemeinde Eßlingen Die Stadtkasse Eßlingen zahlt dem Einlieferer dieses Kassenscheins 500 000 Mark Eßlingen, den 27. August 1923 Oberbürgermeister Stadtpfleger Nachahmung oder Fälschung strafbar |
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| Comments |
Esslingen issued its own emergency currency — Notgeld — because the Reichsbank simply could not print fast enough to keep pace with hyperinflation in 1923. By the time a 500,000 Mark denomination became necessary, the note's face value was already eroding within hours of issue. Municipal authorities across Württemberg were effectively forced into the role of central bankers, a situation no city administration was equipped for and none had asked for.
Local printing by necessity, not choice. The production quality reflects that — Esslingen's higher-denomination Notgeld from this period is noticeably cruder than the decorative small-denomination issues from 1921 and 1922 that collectors now prize.