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5000 Mark
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Freiburg im Breisgau (City Council) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Cream-toned note printed with a floral arabesque underprint across the entire field, enclosed within a double-rule black border. The issuing authority "STADTGEMEINDE FREIBURG im Breisgau" is set in bold gothic and italic calligraphic lettering at the top, with a red typeset serial number to the upper right; the large denomination numeral "5000" in bold calligraphic script dominates the centre, with "Fünftausend Mark" in ornate cursive below. The place and date "Freiburg i/B 7. Februar 1923" appear at lower left, with "Der Stadtrat" and a manuscript signature at lower right, while a full-width panel at the foot carries a two-line anti-counterfeiting legal warning in gothic script. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The upper two-thirds of the reverse are occupied by a panoramic woodcut-style vignette in red-brown and black, rendering a historical bird's-eye view of medieval Freiburg im Breisgau — captioned "Alt Freiburg" — with the soaring Gothic spire of the Freiburger Münster at centre and the city's tiled rooftops, towers, and walls extending to either side; the municipal coat of arms appears in the upper left corner of the vignette. Below the cityscape, a pale yellow panel carries the bold denomination "5000 MARK" in decorative calligraphic numerals and letters. A two-line validity clause in gothic script follows beneath, with the designer's monogram "K.S." at lower right. |
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| Comments |
Freiburg im Breisgau was among hundreds of German municipalities forced into emergency currency issuance during the hyperinflation of 1923, when the Reichsbank's supply of legal tender collapsed so completely that cities, towns, and private companies began printing their own denominations to pay workers and keep local commerce moving. This Notgeld issue at 5,000 Mark reflects a denomination that would have seemed enormous a year earlier and was already borderline inadequate by mid-1923, when inflation was doubling prices within days.
Municipal issues from this period were typically printed locally under contract, often by whatever commercial printer could accommodate the volume and speed required.