Red 5 million marks postage stamp from 1923, when hyperinflation affected the Weimar Republic, Germany
In May 1921 the Weimar Republic issued low value stamps with post-horn images; iron-workers, miners and farmers on middle value stamps ( 100 Pfenigs); and large numerals on 5 mark and above values. Between January and December 1922, however, the price of domestic and foreign mail stamps increased 800 and 200o per cent respectively. A 400 mark stamp at the start of the hyperinflation cycle affecting (June 1921- January 1924) pales into insignificance in view of what was to come: 2 million, 5 million, 10 million, with postage stamps up to 50 billion marks being issued by the end of 1923, when the exchange rate was over trillion marks to the dollar (from marks to the dollar in 1918 and 800 marks to the dollar in December 1922). A loaf of bread similarly rose in price from 163 marks in 1922, to million marks in September 1923 and 200 billion marks in November 1923, when the hyperinflation cycle peaked. From a collection of German stamps bought in the UK in the early 1950s.
Size: 1219px × 1473px
Location: 5 Million Marks Postage Stamp, Weimar Republic, Germany, 1923
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 20th, 5, 1923, century, deutsches, economics, german, germany, history, hyperinflation, illustration, marks, million, philately, postage, postal, red, reich, republic, stamp, stamps, weimar
