Jersey's German occupation notes were printed on the island under direct Nazi administration, which made local involvement in their production both unavoidable and politically fraught. Edmund Blampied, already a well-regarded illustrator and etcher with an international reputation, was commissioned to design the series — an arrangement that drew criticism after liberation, though Blampied's cooperation was widely understood as pragmatic rather than ideological.
The watermark paper was sourced under occupation conditions, and the notes circulated alongside Reichsmarks as part of Germany's parallel currency policy for the Channel Islands. Jersey's own pre-war sterling coinage remained technically legal tender throughout, creating genuine confusion at the point of transaction.
Jersey's German occupation notes were printed on the island under direct Nazi administration, which made local involvement in their production both unavoidable and politically fraught. Edmund Blampied, already a well-regarded illustrator and etcher with an international reputation, was commissioned to design the series — an arrangement that drew criticism after liberation, though Blampied's cooperation was widely understood as pragmatic rather than ideological.
The watermark paper was sourced under occupation conditions, and the notes circulated alongside Reichsmarks as part of Germany's parallel currency policy for the Channel Islands. Jersey's own pre-war sterling coinage remained technically legal tender throughout, creating genuine confusion at the point of transaction.