2000000 Papiermark #201

Front

Reichsbanknote 2 Millionen Mark (2,000,000 Mark) from the Weimar Republic hyperinflation period. The note bears the inscription 'REICHSBANKNOTE' at top and '2 MILLIONEN MARK' at bottom, with elaborate guilloche patterns and ornamental rosettes on both sides. The central oval contains the denomination '2000000' in ornate numerals. This note represents the catastrophic hyperinflation of 1923, when the German mark became virtually worthless due to war reparations and economic crisis.

Back

Allegorical female figure representing Germania in profile, appearing in ornamental frames on both left and right sides of the reverse. The note is dated 'Berlin, Den 23. Juli 1923' and bears the text 'ZAHLT DIE REICHSBANKHAUPT-KASSE IN BERLIN GEGEN DIESE BANKNOTE DEM EINLIEFERER' (The Reichsbank main office in Berlin pays the bearer against this banknote). Circular seals marked 'RBD' (Reichsbankdirektorium) appear in the corners, with signatures of the Reichsbank directors below. The suffix 'E Va' indicates the validation series.

History

This 2 million Mark note from July 23, 1923, is part of the Weimar Republic hyperinflation series, one of history's most extreme monetary crises. By mid-1923, the German Papiermark had collapsed due to excessive money printing to pay WWI reparations and finance government deficits. Denominations reached into the billions and trillions before the currency was replaced by the Rentenmark in November 1923 at an exchange rate of 1 Rentenmark = 1 trillion Papiermark. These hyperinflation notes are widely collected as historical artifacts documenting economic collapse. The Reichsbank issued notes of increasing denominations throughout 1923, making previously unimaginable values commonplace.