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500 000 Mark Reichsbanknote
| Issuer | Reichsbank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | 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 | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Reichsbanknote 500 000 Fünfhunderttausend Mark Wer Banknoten nachmacht oder verfälscht oder nachgemachte oder verfälschte sich verschafft und in Verkehr bringt, wird mit Zuchthaus nicht unter zwei Jahren bestraft (Translation: Five Hundred Thousand Marks Whosoever copies or falsifies banknotes or acquires and puts copied or falsified banknotes into circulation will be punished with no less than two years of prison.) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
This is one of the mid-tier denominations from the hyperinflation spiral of 1923, a year in which the Reichsbank was forced to issue notes in quantities and face values that rapidly became absurd. By the time P#88 entered circulation, 500,000 Mark was already losing purchasing power faster than the ink dried — the note was effectively obsolete within weeks of issue.
The 12.175 million print run sounds large until you consider that Germany was producing notes by the trainload in 1923. The Reichsbank eventually contracted over thirty private printing firms to keep pace with demand, since its own presses could not.