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12 Kran 10 Shahi on 5 Mark
| Issuer | Azerbaijan People's Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1917 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P#M1 |
| Obverse description | German Reichskassenschein 5 Mark note dated Berlin, 31. Oktober 1904, overprinted in red Persian script with the new denomination (12 Qiran 10 Shahi) at top and bottom for use in the Azerbaijan People's Government. The central vignette presents a classical allegorical figure of Germania resting against a rock, with an eagle and shield to the left, surrounded by fine guilloche border work in blue tones. The text 'REICHSKASSENSCHEIN' and 'FÜNF MARK' appear in bold letterpress, with the issuing authority 'REICHSSCHULDENVERWALTUNG' and manuscript signatures below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REICHSKASSENSCHEIN Gesetz vom 30. April 1874. FÜNF MARK. BERLIN, DEN 31. OKTOBER 1904. REICHSSCHULDENVERWALTUNG دوازده قران ده شاهی ۱۲ قران ۱۰ شاهی |
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| Comments |
The Azerbaijan People's Government — a short-lived Soviet-backed separatist administration established in northwestern Iran in late 1945 — issued this note as a provisional currency by overprinting captured or requisitioned German Reichsbanknote stock. The 5 Mark base note, printed by the Reichsdruckerei, had been out of circulation in Germany for decades by that point; exactly how this paper reached the Tabriz-based government remains unclear, but repurposing obsolete foreign banknote stock was a practical necessity for an administration that lasted barely a year before Iranian forces dissolved it in December 1946.
The 1916–1917 dating on the base note is purely a function of the original German printing schedule, not of the Azerbaijani overprint.