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50 Marks
| Issuer | Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Kamerun |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in black letterpress on plain uncoloured paper and carries a two-paragraph legal extract headed 'Auszug aus der Verordnung des Gouverneurs von Kamerun über die Ausgabe von Schatzscheinen vom 12. August 1914.' Paragraph 3 declares the notes legal tender from the outbreak of war until twelve months after the conclusion of a final peace treaty, while Paragraph 5 sets out criminal penalties under the Reichsstrafgesetzbuch for counterfeiting or uttering forged notes. There are no vignettes, borders, or decorative elements on this side. |
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| Variants | P#2a - Light brown eagle, 2 varieties. P#2b - Red-brown eagle. P#2c - Cancelled. |
| Comments |
The Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Kamerun issued this note in August 1914, within weeks of the outbreak of war in Europe. Cut off from Germany by British and French naval blockades, the colonial administration in Duala faced an immediate liquidity crisis — metropolitan currency could not reach the colony, and trade had to continue. These emergency treasury notes were the improvised answer.
The entire series was short-lived. Anglo-French forces invaded Kamerun in August 1914 and completed the conquest by February 1916. Notes that weren't destroyed in the retreat were largely invalidated under the subsequent French and British partition. Survivors are scarce precisely because the issuing administration ceased to exist so quickly after printing.