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500 000 Mark Bochumer Verein für Bergbau und Gußstahlfabrikation
| Issuer | Bochumer Verein für Bergbau und Gußstahlfabrikation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress Notgeld voucher (Gutschein) with an ornate geometric border composed of repeated industrial and heraldic motifs — including anchors, cogwheels, lions, and stylized trefoil medallions — arranged in a continuous frame. The central text panel states the denomination in Fraktur script as 'Fünfhunderttausend Mark', below which a clause specifies validity until 1 October 1923 and redemption at the issuer's main cashier in Bochum or at local branch banks. A large green overprinted denomination '500000' is applied diagonally across the central field as a control underprint, and the same numeral appears in green letterpress at top and bottom margins. The note is dated 'Bochum, den 1. August 1923' and bears two manuscript signatures flanking a serial number with prefix 'B'. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain cream paper reverse, unadorned by any vignette or border, carrying two blocks of Fraktur text setting out the conditions of use. The upper paragraph warns that the Gutschein has monetary value and must be treated with the same care as cash, and that the bearer alone is responsible for any loss. The lower paragraph states that upon expiry of the term indicated on the obverse the note loses its validity and will no longer be redeemed. The issuer's name is repeated in bold Fraktur at the foot of the text. |
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| Comments |
Bochumer Verein für Bergbau und Gußstahlfabrikation — one of the Ruhr's dominant steel and mining conglomerates — issued emergency currency during the hyperinflation of 1923 under the same legal framework that allowed thousands of German industrial firms, municipalities, and savings banks to print their own Notgeld. By mid-1923, the Reichsbank simply could not supply denominations fast enough to meet payroll demands, and large employers became de facto monetary authorities for their own workforces.
The 500,000 Mark face value, astronomical by any prewar measure, was already being overtaken by inflation within weeks of printing.