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500 000 Mark Reichsbahndirektion
| Issuer | Reichsbahndirektion Breslau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Text-only emergency note (Gutschein) issued by the Reichsbahndirektion Breslau, with the heading 'REICHSBAHNDIREKTIONSBEZIRK BRESLAU' across the top and a serial number below. The body carries the full redemption text in German stating the note's validity at railway cashier offices within the district until 30 September 1923, followed by the denomination '500 000' and the issue date 'BRESLAU, DEN 15. AUGUST 1923', with two manuscript or printed signatures of the Reichsbahndirektion beneath. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue on plain paper and carries a central vignette of a winged wheel — the traditional heraldic emblem of the railway — with wings spread horizontally to either side. Above the vignette the denomination '500 Tausend Mark' is set in large bold letterpress type, and below the vignette the issuer abbreviation 'R. B. D. Br.' (Reichsbahndirektion Breslau) appears in matching bold type. |
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| Comments |
The Reichsbahndirektion Breslau was one of dozens of regional railway directorates that issued notgeld during the hyperinflation of 1923, when the Reichsbank simply could not produce currency fast enough to meet demand. Railway directorates across Germany became de facto emergency issuers by virtue of their payroll obligations — they needed to pay thousands of workers weekly, and waiting for official notes was not an option.
The 500,000 Mark denomination places this squarely in the summer-to-autumn 1923 window, before valuations climbed into the billions. Breslau, then the capital of Silesia, was already under significant economic and political pressure following the 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite and partition.