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5 Rupien
| Issuer | Kaiserliches Gouvernement von Deutsch-Ostafrika |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the issuing authority designation 'Daressalam/Tabora' at left, with the authorization clause 'Kraft besonderer Ermächtigung' at lower left. The note is typeset in a plain letterpress style with a simple ruled border, reflecting wartime emergency issue conditions. The left signature is applied by hand. |
|---|---|
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| 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. |
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| Comments |
By 1915, the naval blockade had severed German East Africa from Europe entirely, cutting off any possibility of importing currency from metropolitan printers. The colonial government turned to the Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Zeitung — a local newspaper press — to produce emergency notes, which is precisely why this series looks nothing like conventional colonial currency. It was printed on whatever paper the press had available, including in some documented instances interleaved paper stocks originally intended for newsprint runs.
Governor Heinrich Schnee authorized the issue under wartime necessity provisions. Lettow-Vorbeck's campaign kept the colony undefeated until after the Armistice, meaning these notes remained nominally valid longer than almost any other German colonial emission.