Catalog
1 Rupie
| Issuer | Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#9 |
| Obverse description | Imperial German eagle vignette at upper left, with the denomination and date printed below. The note bears the legend 'Kraft besonderer Ermächtigung' beneath the date, indicating its issue under special authorization. Two handwritten signatures appear in the lower portion of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | P#9a - light green paper series B P#9b(1) - light-brown paper series B P#9b(2) - light-brown paper series C P#9c(1) - cream paper series P P#9c(2) - cream paper series S* * not listed in catalog |
| Comments |
Printed under siege conditions after Allied naval blockades cut German East Africa off from Europe, this note was produced by a newspaper printing house — the Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Zeitung — because no specialist security printer was available. The result is exactly what you'd expect: crude typography, minimal anti-counterfeiting measures, and paper sourced locally rather than imported.
Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's campaign kept the territory fighting until after the Armistice, meaning these notes circulated longer than virtually any other German colonial issue. Redemption never came for most holders.