Catalog
100 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of the East Africa Protectorate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1912 |
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| Reference(s) | P#5 |
| Obverse description | Typographed note in green and black on white paper, with the issuer's title in bold letterpress across the upper portion within an elaborate guilloche border. The denomination ONE HUNDRED RUPEES is printed in large central text, flanked by numerals 100 in ornate cartouches on either side, with a multilingual denomination line in Arabic and Gujarati script below. The place and date of issue, Mombasa, 1st July 1912, appear beneath, with a manuscript signature to the lower right above the printed designation FOR THE CURRENCY COMMISSIONERS. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE PROMISES TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF ONE HUNDRED RUPEES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE |
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| Comments |
The East Africa Protectorate's paper currency was a colonial administrative tool as much as a financial one — the rupee denomination tied the territory's monetary system to British India rather than to sterling, reflecting the dominant role of Indian traders and laborers in the regional economy. That Indian-rupee alignment would remain until the East African florin was introduced in 1920, then abandoned almost immediately in favor of the shilling.
At the 100 rupee face value, this was not a note that passed through many hands. Wholesale trade and government accounts were its natural home. De La Rue's involvement guaranteed security printing of a high order, but surviving examples from this series are genuinely rare — the Protectorate itself ceased to exist in 1920 when Kenya Colony was formally constituted.