When Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, the Faroe Islands were simultaneously occupied by Britain — making the islands a monetary anomaly almost overnight. Danish banknotes were still technically valid, but new supplies from Copenhagen were cut off. The solution was improvised: existing Danish 10-kroner notes were overprinted and put into circulation under the authority of Færø Amt, the county administration, to function as a distinct local currency for the duration of the British occupation.
The Hilbert signature is handwritten, not printed — each note signed individually by the county official. That detail alone tells you how small the operation was.
When Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, the Faroe Islands were simultaneously occupied by Britain — making the islands a monetary anomaly almost overnight. Danish banknotes were still technically valid, but new supplies from Copenhagen were cut off. The solution was improvised: existing Danish 10-kroner notes were overprinted and put into circulation under the authority of Færø Amt, the county administration, to function as a distinct local currency for the duration of the British occupation.
The Hilbert signature is handwritten, not printed — each note signed individually by the county official. That detail alone tells you how small the operation was.