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500 Mark
| Issuer | Stadt Mainz (City of Mainz) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | The left half of the obverse is dominated by a large ornate calligraphic initial rendered in dark blue ink with intricate scrollwork and filigree detailing. To the right, the issuer title appears within a rectangular border at the top reading "Notgeld der Stadt Mainz", below which the denomination "Fünfhundert Mark" is set in bold Fraktur blackletter type alongside the numeral "500". The date "Mainz, den 18. Oktober 1922" is printed below the denomination, accompanied by the facsimile signature of the Oberbürgermeister and a circular embossed city seal bearing the Mainz coat of arms. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Embossed seal |
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| Comments |
Mainz issued its own emergency currency — Notgeld — during the hyperinflationary spiral of the early Weimar Republic, when the Reichsbank simply could not supply sufficient small and mid-denomination notes to meet local demand. The 500 Mark denomination places this note in the transitional phase of 1922, before inflation rendered such figures absurdly inadequate within months. By late 1923, a loaf of bread in Germany cost hundreds of billions of marks.
The embossed municipal seal was the city's primary authentication device — modest by central bank standards, but sufficient for local commerce where the issuing authority was physically known to users.