Catalog
5 Rupien
| Issuer | Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Decimalized Rupee (1904-1916) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Interims-Banknote Die Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank zahlt bei Ihren Kassen im Deutsch-Ostafrikanischen Schutzgebiet dem Einlieferer dieser Banknote ohne Legitimationsprüfung 5 Fünf Rupien. 5 Daressalam, Tabora, 15. August 1915 Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank Zweigniederlassung Daressalam In Vollmacht |
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| Variants | P#31a - Series B P#31b - Series C |
| Comments |
By 1915, the naval blockade had severed German East Africa from Europe entirely, forcing the Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank to improvise with local resources. The Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Zeitung — a newspaper printing house — was pressed into emergency currency production, working with whatever paper stock was available. The results are visibly rough compared to pre-war issues, and the series is known for significant variation in paper quality and ink consistency across individual notes.
Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's *Schutztruppe* campaign kept the colony fighting until after the Armistice, meaning these notes remained nominally in use longer than almost any other German colonial currency.