Catalog
1 Rupie
| Issuer | Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika |
|---|---|
| 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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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | 1916 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain paper ground with two text blocks in German and Swahili respectively, attesting that the note's value is fully backed by the Imperial Government of German East Africa ('Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika'). A counterfeit warning in German occupies the lower portion of the note. The serial number and letter 'L' are repeated at top left and bottom right within a simple rectangular border. |
| Reverse lettering | Der Gegenwert dieser Banknote ist bei dem Kaiserlichen Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika voll hinterlegt. Kadri ya noti hii imewekwa sahibi katika Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika. Wer Banknoten nachmacht oder verfälscht oder nachgemachte oder verfälschte sich verschafft und in Verkehr bringt, wird mit Zuchthaus nicht unter 2 Jahren bestraft. |
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| Comments |
Deutsch-Ostafrika's 1915 emergency currency is among the more unusual products of World War I monetary improvisation. With the British naval blockade severing supply lines from Germany, Governor Heinrich Schnee's administration printed these notes locally in Dar es Salaam using whatever materials were at hand — including, in some series, paper derived from salvaged stock. The colony was effectively cut off, and its currency had to function in complete isolation from any metropolitan backing.
P#17 falls within the Rukwa series of wartime Gouvernementspapiergeld. Forgeries were produced during the period, and authentication of surviving examples requires scrutiny of the typeface and paper texture.