Catalog
5 Marks
| Issuer | Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa (Polish State Loan Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 MAREK POLSKICH 5 Rzesza Niemiecka przyjmuje odpowiedzialność za spłatę biletów Polskiej Krajowej Kasy Pożyczkowej w Markach Niemieckich po cenie nominalnej. Zarząd Generał-Gubernatorstwa Warszawskiego Warszawa, dn. 9-go grudnia 1916 r. Kto podrabia lub fałszuje bilety Polskiej Krajowej Kasy Pożyczkowej, albo puszcza w obieg lub usiłuje puścić w obieg podrobione lub fałszowane bilety, podlega karze ciężkiego więzienia. 1917 (Translation: 5 POLISH MARKS The Empire of Germany takes responsibility for the payment of Polish State Loan Bank notes in German Marks at their face value. Board of the General-Governorate of Warsaw Warsaw, on 9th December 1916. Those who counterfeit or forge notes of the Polish State Loan Bank, or circulate or attempt to circulate counterfeit or forged notes are punishable by severe imprisonment.) |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa was established by German occupying authorities in December 1916 to replace the Russian ruble in the territory of the Kingdom of Poland — a fiscal instrument of occupation dressed in Polish institutional clothing. The Mark it issued was pegged to the German Mark but administered separately, giving the Germans monetary control while offering Poles the symbolic conceit of a national institution.
Printing at the S. Manitius press in Łódź kept production inside occupied territory, unusual for an emergency wartime currency. The watermark is the only meaningful security feature, which proved inadequate — counterfeiting of the early series was a documented problem within the first year of circulation.