Catalog
10 Rupien
| Issuer | Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905 |
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| Reference(s) | P#2 |
| Obverse description | The upper portion carries the bold intaglio bank title 'DEUTSCH-OSTAFRIKANISCHE BANK' with serial numbers at left and right, above the denomination text 'ZEHN RUPIEN' and the issue date 'Daressalam, den 15. Juni 1905'. A detailed engraved vignette in the lower half presents a panoramic view of Dar es Salaam harbour, with steamships at anchor, smaller boats, and a tropical shoreline lined with palms and colonial buildings. Denomination numerals '10' appear in all four corners within ornate guilloche cartouches, and a counterfeit warning legend is printed at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | DEUTSCH-OSTAFRIKANISCHE BANK Die Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank zahlt bei ihrer Kasse in Daressalam dem Einlieferer dieser Banknote ohne Legitimationsprüfung ZEHN RUPIEN Daressalam, den 15. Juni 1905. 10 RUPIEN 10 GIESECKE & DEVRIENT |
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| Comments |
The Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank was established in 1905 specifically to provide a modern currency infrastructure for German East Africa, replacing the earlier rupien coinage that had circulated alongside Indian rupees in the coastal trade economy. This note is among the earliest paper issues for the territory. Giesecke & Devrient, already one of Europe's most technically accomplished security printers, handled the entire series from their Leipzig works.
The rupien denomination itself reflects the commercial reality of the Swahili coast, where Indian Ocean trade networks had entrenched the rupee as the dominant unit of account long before German colonial administration arrived.