Catalog
50 Kopecks Latvia, Libava, Libau
| Issuer | City of Libava (Libau) Municipal Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The municipal coat of arms of Libava (Libau) is centred as the primary vignette, surrounded by the denomination numeral at each corner. The issuing authority's name appears in Cyrillic letterpress across the top, with the obligation and anti-counterfeiting text arranged in the body of the note. The denomination is stated in both Cyrillic and Latin script. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Либавское Городское Самоуправление ОБЯЗУЕТСЯ ОПЛАТИТЬ НАСТОЯЩУЮ ДОЛГОВУЮ РАСПИСКУ НЕМЕДЛЕННО ПОСЛЕ ОКОНЧАНIИ ВОЙНЫ 50 Коп. ПОДДЪЛКА КАРАЕТСЯ ПО УГОЛОВНЫМЪ ЗАКОНАМЪ. 50 Cop. (Translation: Libava City Government. [The government is] obliged to pay the debt banknote immediately after the end of the war. 50 Kop. Forgery is punished under criminal law.) |
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| Comments |
Libau — the heavily Germanized Baltic port city known to Latvians as Liepāja — issued emergency fractional notes in 1915 as Russian imperial coinage vanished from circulation almost overnight following the outbreak of war. Municipal scrip of this kind filled a genuine gap; small change had been hoarded or melted before the government could respond.
The city was under Russian administration at the time of issue but fell to German forces in May 1915, making the window of legitimate circulation extraordinarily brief. Notes that survived the occupation change were often voided or simply abandoned.