State: Germany, Weimar Republic
Issuer: Reichsbankhauptkasse, Reichsbankdirektorium
Location of issue: Berlin
Date of issue: printed on banknote: 7. July 1922 AD., actually mid of August 1922.
Value: 500 Mark
Size: 175 x 90 mm
Material: paper
Watermark: 500M and waves
Serial : U (all observed: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z )
Serial no. : 8710571 , a 7 digit green serial
Signatures: see below (12)
Printer: Reichsdruckerei, Berlin (Germany)
Obv.: Reichsbanknote / Fünfhundert Mark / zahlt die …. / Vom 1. April 1923 ab …. / …. / Havenstein – v. Glasenapp / v. Grimm – Kauffmann – Schneider – Budczies / Bernhard – Seiffert – Vocke – Friedrich / Fuchs – P. Schneider , validity period limitation till 1/4/1923, seals flanking 12 signatures below, green 7 digit serial to right.
Rev.: (blank) .
References: Rosenberg 71b ; World Paper Money Pick 74b .
A quite simple design obviously intenden as temporary solution til new regulation of the monetary system and exchange for new bills in 1923. But this became meaningless by the increase of inflation in 1923.
On july 7th 1922 ca. 500 paper marks had an exchange rate of ca. 1 Dollar. The purchasing power was about 5 – 6 kg meat. By November 1922 the prices were fourfold.
The paper mark – dollar exchange rate increased to 21000 Mark / Dollar on April 1st 1923. So ths bill had a value of ca. 2 US cents then and by end of 1923 these 500 papermark bills had nearly no exchange value any more.