German Reich 500 Tausend Mark Basket Lid Overprint

Germany · 1923 · 500 Tausend Mark

The stamp features an ornamental 'basket lid' design, characteristic of the definitive series, with 'Deutsches Reich' at the top. It bears a black overprint of '500 Tausend Mark' on its original value.

This stamp is a stark reminder of the hyperinflation crisis in Germany during the Weimar Republic in 1923. Existing stamps were rapidly overprinted with vastly higher denominations to cope with the plummeting value of the German Mark.