Catalog
5 Øre Grønlands Administration, overprint
| Issuer | Grønlands Styrelse (Greenland Administration) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#M3 |
| Obverse description | Issued on pink-violet cardboard stock with perforated edges on all sides, this small-format emergency voucher bears a stark, typeset layout with no pictorial vignette. The abbreviation "Grl." and "Adm." are printed in red italic letterpress at the top and bottom respectively, framing the large black numeral "5" and denomination "Øre" in the centre. The overall design is entirely typographic, reflecting the utilitarian wartime character of the issue. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Grl. 5 Øre Adm. (Translation: Greenlandic 5 Øre Administration) |
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| Comments |
When Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, Greenland found itself administratively severed from Copenhagen. The island's governor, Eske Brun, effectively operated the territory as an autonomous entity under loose American protection — and that created an immediate practical problem: no new currency could be shipped from Denmark. The solution was to overprint existing stock rather than print fresh issues, producing some of the smallest emergency money in wartime circulation.
P#M3 is among the tiniest denominations of a series that was never meant to outlast the war. The cardboard composition reflects genuine material constraints, not a design choice.