Catalog
10 Perpera
| Issuer | Главна Државна Благајна (Main State Treasury of Montenegro) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1912 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The note is printed in red-brown on pale paper, with an ornate guilloche border incorporating cross and floral motifs at the corners and along the margins. A central vignette presents the Montenegrin state coat of arms — a double-headed eagle with a shield — flanked by the large numeral '10' on both the left and right. The denomination in Cyrillic, ДЕСЕТ ПЕРПЕРА, appears in bold letterpress below the central vignette, while the issuing authority text and promise-to-pay inscription are set at the top, with the date 'Цетиње, 1. Октобра 1912.' and two manuscript signatures of treasury officials at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the same red-brown guilloche border design with cross and floral ornaments at the corners and margins, closely mirroring the obverse layout. The central area again carries the Montenegrin double-headed eagle coat-of-arms vignette flanked by large '10' numerals on either side, with ДЕСЕТ ПЕРПЕРА in bold Cyrillic below. The issuing text and denomination heading appear at the top, while the lower portion carries the validity clause and date inscription, without the manuscript signatures present on the obverse; the printer's imprint 'UNIE-PRAGUE' is visible in the lower right margin. |
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| Comments |
Montenegro's paper currency experiment was brief and politically charged. The perpera had only been introduced as an official unit of account in 1906, pegged to the French franc, and the government's decision to issue treasury notes rather than bank notes reflected the absence of a central bank — the Main State Treasury handled emissions directly. Prague was chosen for printing almost certainly because of existing commercial relationships within the Habsburg sphere, an irony given Montenegro's fierce insistence on independence from outside powers.
The 1912 issue landed in the middle of the First Balkan War, in which Montenegro was a combatant from October of that year. Notes printed that same year circulated under wartime conditions almost immediately.