How to find 5,000,000 Reichsmarks in one day?

A friend and I passed an old house that had been reduced to rubble in an explosion on the Eastern Front 74 years ago and decided to check it out. We found some incredible items!

The most unexpected find was this huge coin with a face value of 5,000,000 Reichsmarks (1923). Before finding it, I had no idea it even existed.

The moment I saw the coin:

5,000,000 Reichsmarks. Photo by Apolon

At first, I thought it was some kind of Prussian medal. But once we cleaned it up a little, we saw that it read: Minister vom Stein•Deutschlands Führer in schwerer Zeit 1757-1831

5,000,000 Reichsmarks. Photo by Apolon

On the reverse side there is an image of a horse and the inscription:  5,000,000 Reichsmarks (Notgeld)

The coin has taken its rightful place in my collection. You can have a look at the result in this article: 5 000 000 Reichsmarks

Notgeld Der Provinz Westfalen

5,000,000 Reichsmarks. Photo by Apolon

Read: ВВС: Israeli divers found a treasure of gold coins

How did this coin end up here?

This coin has a name –  NOTGELD. Notgelds (emergency / forced money) – emergency money issued into circulation by various local authorities, as well as non-governmental organizations in the period from 1914 to 1924 in Germany and Austria in connection with the crisis and hyperinflation. Due to the fact that the money was not issued by the Central Bank, they, according to the legislation of the country, were not legal tender. Nevertheless, they have become a generally accepted means of payment in the territory of their circulation.

Coin General Information:

This amazing find was not the last on this day, but the rest of the finds that are worthy of attention made on this day can be seen in this article: German Traveler’s Shelter