2 Marks

The Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa was a creation of the German occupation administration, established in 1916 to issue a parallel currency across the German-controlled General Government of Warsaw — a deliberate instrument for separating the occupied Polish territories economically from the Russian ruble zone. The Mark issues that followed were tied to the German Mark at par, effectively integrating the region into German wartime finance rather than Polish economic autonomy.

S. Manitius was a well-established Łódź printing house, pressed into service under occupation conditions. Local production kept logistics manageable but imposed real constraints on paper quality and press consistency — something collectors notice across the 1916 series.