30 Pfennig - Wilhelm II

Kiauchau's 1914 brass issues were produced in Germany for a colony that was already under siege. Japan declared war on Germany in August 1914 and launched its assault on the Tsingtao garrison in September; the territory surrendered in November. These coins were struck knowing full well that German administration there was finished, making the entire 1914 issue effectively emergency or final-authority coinage with almost no opportunity for genuine circulation in the colony itself.