Catalog
50 Rupiah Djepang
| Issuer | Treasury of Pagar Alam, Sumatra |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Primitively printed emergency issue in red ink on plain paper, with a central oval vignette containing a stylized eagle or bird motif above the denomination numeral 50 flanked by the abbreviation 'RP.' on both sides. A decorative ribbon scroll at the top carries the issuing authority inscription, with the full denomination spelled out in a bold central band reading 'DIPAIO' and the legend '(LIMA PULUH) RUPIAH DJEPANG' below. A serial number appears in the upper left, a handwritten date and signature of the Komandan are present at the lower right, and a simple geometric border frames the entire design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | No. 3505 HE CUE DIKELUARKAN OLEH RP. 50 DIPAIO (LIMA PULUH) RUPIAH DJEPANG P. ALAM, 1947 KOMANDAN |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Pagar Alam was a small inland town in South Sumatra, and its treasury had no business issuing currency — except that in 1947, with Dutch forces pressing back into the archipelago during the First Police Action, local administrations across the republic improvised. Notes like this one emerged from regional necessity, not central planning, printed on whatever materials were available and backed by nothing more than local authority.
The "Djepang" in the name is the key detail: this denomination borrows its unit from the Japanese occupation currency, which had saturated Sumatran circulation between 1942 and 1945. Ordinary Indonesians still reckoned in those terms.