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500 Mark Pattern
| Issuer | Germany (1871-1948) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Mark |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A boldly rendered German Imperial eagle with wings spread wide occupies the central field, depicted facing left with its head turned upward and talons prominently displayed. The eagle, executed in high relief in the style of sculptor Josef Wackerle, stands atop a small six-pointed star at the base of the design. The circumferential legend EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT (Unity and Justice and Freedom) arcs around the periphery, separated from the eagle motif by a beaded inner border and a reeded outer rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Germany's 1923 hyperinflation peaked so catastrophically that by November of that year, a single US dollar exchanged for roughly 4.2 trillion Marks. Pattern pieces at this denomination were almost certainly exploratory — the Reichsbank and mint authorities were improvising coinage policy week to week as denominations became obsolete faster than dies could be prepared. Aluminium was attractive precisely because its intrinsic value was negligible, removing the problem of metal hoarding that had gutted earlier issues.
That this pattern apparently never reached circulation is unsurprising; the Rentenmark reform of November 1923 rendered the entire inflated Mark series instantly redundant.