Catalog
50 Marks
| Issuer | Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa (Polish State Loan Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Size | 160 × 105 mm |
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| Obverse description | Printed in red and black on a pale green guilloche underprint, the centre of the note is dominated by a large heraldic vignette of the crowned Polish eagle displayed on a red oval shield, framed by elaborate scrollwork and drapery. Denomination numerals "50" appear in red within ornate cartouches at the upper left and right, with the legend "MAREK POLSKICH" across the top flanking a royal crown. Two columns of letterpress text flank the central vignette, carrying the guarantee declaration of the German Reich and the counterfeiting warning, with two manuscript signatures and a small red seal at the lower right; the year "1917" appears at the foot of the central design. |
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| Obverse lettering | 50 MAREK POLSKICH Rzesza Niemiecka przyjmuje odpowiedzialność za spłatę Biletów Kasy Pożyczkowej w Markach Niemieckich po cenie nominalnej. Zarząd jenerał-gubernatorstwa warszawskiego Warszawa, dn. 9go grudnia 1916 r. Kto podrabia lub fałszuje bilety krajowej Kasy Pożyczkowej, albo puszcza w obieg lub usiłuje puścić w obieg podrobione lub fałszowane bilety, podlega karze ciężkiego więzienia. 1917 |
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| Comments |
The Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa was established under German military occupation in December 1916 as the issuing authority for a new Polish currency — the marka — intended to replace the Russian ruble in the occupied territories. It was a political instrument as much as a financial one, designed to detach the local economy from Russian monetary structures while stopping well short of genuine Polish fiscal independence.
Printing at the S. Manitius press in Łódź rather than in Germany was a deliberate logistical choice given wartime conditions. Manitius was a known commercial printer, not a security printing specialist, and the notes from this series reflect that — they lack the intaglio depth of contemporary Western European currency and were relatively easy to counterfeit.