Catalog
1 Rupie
| Issuer | Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Reference(s) | P#13 |
| Obverse description | Imperial German eagle coat of arms vignette at upper left within a plain rectangular cartouche, against an unadorned buff ground. The issuer name 'Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank' is printed in large Gothic script across the centre, above the denomination '1 Eine Rupie 1' in bold letterpress. Date and place of issue 'Daressalam/Tabora, 1. Dezember 1915' appear at lower left, with manuscript signature lines headed 'Gebucht von:' and 'In Vollmacht:' below, the latter attributed to the Zweigniederlassung Daressalam branch. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Der Gegenwert dieser Banknote ist bei dem Kaiserlichen Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika voll hinterlegt. Kadri ya noti hii imewekwa sahihi katika Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika. H H 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 |
The Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank issued this 1 Rupie note under wartime siege conditions. When Allied naval blockades cut off the German East Africa colony from its metropolitan banking infrastructure, the local administration was forced to improvise a paper currency using whatever materials were available — including, famously, animal hide for some issues. The P#13 paper Rupie notes of 1915 were part of that same emergency framework, produced locally rather than imported from a European printer.
Surviving examples frequently show uneven paper stock and irregular printing registration, artifacts of colonial field production rather than damage sustained in circulation.