Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915-1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Rectangular |
| 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 | Interim banknote (Interims-Banknote) with the Imperial German eagle vignette at upper left. Central text in German Gothic script reads 'Die Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank' with the denomination 'Eine Rupie' in large numerals. Lower portion carries the date '1. November 1915', place of issue 'Daressalam/Tabora', and a manuscript authorization signature in violet ink. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Der Gegenwert dieser Banknote ist bei dem Kaiserlichen Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika voll hinterlegt. Kadri ya noti hii imewekwa sahihi katika Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika Wer Banknoten nachmacht oder verfälscht oder nachgemachte oder verfälschte sich verschafft und in Verkehr bringt, wird mit Zuchthaus nicht unter 2 Jahren bestraft |
| 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 |
These notes were produced under genuine siege conditions. By 1915, the British naval blockade had severed German East Africa from any outside printing supply, forcing the Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Bank to commission the colony's own newspaper press — the Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Zeitung — to produce emergency currency. The results are accordingly crude: uneven inking, variable paper stock, and hand-stamped serial elements are all characteristic of the series.
Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's forces remained in the field until after the Armistice, and these notes circulated — however reluctantly — for the duration. The 1 Rupie denomination was the workhorse of the emergency issues, and used examples do survive, though the improvised paper has often browned or become brittle with age.