Catalog
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| Issuer | Herzogenrather Glaswerke Bicheroux & Cie. G.m.b.H. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed in dark brownish-red on cream paper, the note is framed by an ornate border of repeating geometric and floral cartouches at the corners and along all edges. The denomination "Fünfhunderttausend Mark" is set in large Gothic blackletter script across the upper portion, above a central text block in smaller Gothic typeface detailing the issuing authority and redemption conditions; the series designation "Lit A" appears at upper left with the serial number at upper right. The place and date of issue "Herzogenrath, den 12. August 1923" are printed centrally, followed by the issuer's name and two manuscript signatures in blue ink. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Herzogenrather Glaswerke Bicheroux & Cie. was one of several industrial firms in the Aachen region that resorted to issuing emergency currency — Notgeld — during the hyperinflationary collapse of 1923, when the Reichsmark was depreciating so rapidly that workers needed to be paid in locally valid scrip just to buy food before the value evaporated by afternoon. A 500,000 Mark denomination, staggering even by mid-1923 standards, reflects exactly how compressed that window became.
The watermarked paper is notable — most late-stage industrial Notgeld dispensed with such features entirely as costs and chaos mounted.