Catalog
20 Skilling
| Issuer | Grønlands Administration |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Skilling |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green and white trade certificate printed on plain paper. At left, a large embossed circular seal with a crowned cartouche bearing the inscription 'GRØNLANDS ADMINISTRATION' in relief. The central field carries the cursive legend 'Grenlands Administration' surmounted by a small crown ornament, with the bilingual inscription 'Handels Værdimærke / Trade Certificate' and the bold numeral '20' at centre. The denomination '20 Skilling' appears in vertical letterpress on both lateral margins, with 'GRØNLANDS ADMINISTRATION' repeated in spaced capitals along the top and bottom borders flanked by foliate corner ornaments. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Blind embossed circular seal with crowned cartouche bearing the issuer's name, applied without ink to the left portion of the note. |
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| Comments |
Greenland's wartime isolation made these notes a practical necessity. When Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, the island was cut off from its administrative center in Copenhagen, and the Grønlands Administration — operating under the wartime oversight of the Danish consul and later with American involvement following the 1941 defense agreement — had to manage its own monetary affairs. These small-denomination skilling notes were part of that improvised local currency system, circulating within a population of roughly 20,000 people scattered across remote settlements with no connection to continental banking infrastructure.
The embossed seal was the primary authentication measure — straightforward to apply locally without specialist printing equipment.