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50 Pfennig
| Issuer | Swakopmunder Buchhandlung |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | German South West African Mark (1885-1915) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Gutschein über 0,50 Mark Swakopmunder Buchhandlung Ges. m.b.H. Swakopmund NUMMER |
| 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.