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100 Marks Australian occupation, treasury note
| Issuer | Australian Military Treasury, German New Guinea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A spare letterpress note printed in black on plain cream paper, entirely devoid of vignette, guilloche, or ornamental underprint. Two bold rectangular panels bearing the numeral '100' occupy the left and right margins, flanking a central text block headed 'TREASURY NOTE.' in large roman capitals, with the promissory clause and payability terms set in smaller roman type below. The date and two manuscript signatures — those of the enterer and the Treasurer — are hand-completed in ink, the only handwritten elements on an otherwise wholly typeset surface. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely unprinted save for the numeral '100' in plain black type placed at each of the four corners, serving as denomination indicators against the bare warm tan paper stock, with no further design, text, or ornamentation of any kind. |
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| Comments |
When Australian forces occupied German New Guinea in September 1914, they inherited a functioning colonial economy operating on the Mark. Rather than immediately displacing the currency, the military administration printed these treasury notes locally in Rabaul using whatever press equipment was on hand — which is why the typography is rudimentary and the paper quality inconsistent across surviving examples. They were never intended as a long-term solution.
The entire series of Australian occupation notes (P#1–5) was in use for only a matter of months before the administration transitioned to Australian pounds. Short issue window, small population, remote territory — very few notes entered serious circulation.