Catalog
1 Pesa - Wilhelm II
| Issuer | Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft (German East Africa Company) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890-1892 |
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| Value | 1 Pesa (1⁄64) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | DEUTSCH-OSTAFRIKANISCHE GESELLSCHAFT 1890 (Translation: German East Africa Company 1890) |
| Reverse description | The central field displays a three-line Arabic inscription enclosed within a circular cartouche formed by a decorative rope or cable border. The inscription reads 'Sharikat Almaniya' (German Company) above the Hijri date. The entire central device is surrounded by a broad, finely detailed wreath of laurel or olive branches tied at the base with a floral ornament, with the branches extending symmetrically around the full circumference of the coin. |
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| Additional information |
The Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft held the imperial charter for German East Africa from 1885, but its administrative authority collapsed by 1891 after the coastal uprising led by Abushiri bin Salim al-Harthi forced the German government to intervene directly with naval and military force. This pesa was struck during that precise window of corporate sovereignty — before the colony transferred to direct imperial crown control in 1891, ending the Company's brief, troubled tenure as a governing body.
The pesa denomination was retained from the existing Swahili coastal monetary vocabulary, a pragmatic concession to commerce already conducted in that unit across the East African littoral.