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20 Heller - Wilhelm II Tabora Emergency Coinage
| Issuer | German East Africa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse lettering | ♦1916♦ DOA (Translation: German East Africa) |
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| Reverse lettering | 20 HELLER |
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| Additional information |
Struck in Tabora in 1916 as British and Belgian forces closed in on the last German-held interior positions of East Africa, this coin was produced from copper water pipe salvaged from local infrastructure — the colonial administration having no access to proper planchet stock. Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's guerrilla campaign had severed normal supply lines entirely, making improvised coinage a practical necessity rather than a symbolic gesture.
Four die varieties exist under the Schön listings, reflecting the ad hoc nature of production. Tabora fell to Belgian troops in September 1916, ending the mint's operation after just months of output.