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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Swakopmunder Buchhandlung |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Plain white linen note with blue-green letterpress text on an unadorned field, framed by a dotted rectangular border in pink. The upper portion bears the German word 'Gutschein' (voucher) with 'über' below, while the denomination '0,50 Mark' appears in large central type. The issuer's name 'Swakopmunder Buchhandlung, Ges. m.b.H., Swakopmund' is printed beneath the denomination, with a handwritten signature overlaid in the lower centre. A serial number field reading 'NUMMER' with a stamped numeral appears in the upper right, flanked by a small asterisk device. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely plain, printed on coarse white linen fabric with a visible woven texture throughout. No text, vignette, or decorative element is present; the linen substrate shows natural fold lines and age-related toning consistent with circulation wear. |
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| Comments |
The Swakopmunder Buchhandlung — a bookshop and stationer in Swakopmund — became an emergency currency issuer because it had to. After South African forces occupied German South West Africa in 1915, the existing monetary infrastructure collapsed and small change effectively disappeared. Local merchants issued their own notgeld to keep commerce moving, and the Buchhandlung's linen-cloth notes are among the most unusual to survive from any colonial occupation anywhere.
Printed on woven fabric rather than paper, these notes were remarkably durable in the coastal humidity of Swakopmund. The choice of linen was practical, not decorative.