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1/2 Mark
| Issuer | Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa (Polish State Loan Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Red and black letterpress on green guilloche underprint. The national coat of arms (Polish eagle) appears at left, with the denomination and official text block occupying the right portion of the note. The face carries extensive legal and administrative inscriptions in Polish, including the guarantee clause of the German Reich and an anti-counterfeiting warning. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | PÓŁ MARKI POLSKIEJ Rzesza Niemiecka przyjmuje odpowie- dzialność za spłatę Biletów Kasy Pożycz- kowej w Markach Niemieckich po cenie nominalnej Zarząd jenerał-Gubernatorstwa Warszawskiego ½ 19 17 ½ Warszawa, dn. 9-go grudnia 1916 r. Kto podrabia lub fałszuje bilety krajowej Kasy Pożyczkowej, albo puszcza w obieg lub usiłuje puścić w obieg podrobione lub fał- szowane bilety, podlega karze ciężkiego więzienia. (Translation: Half Polish Mark. The German Reich assumes responsibility for the repayment of the banknotes of the National Loan Office in German Marks at face value. Warsaw, December 9, 1916. Those who counterfeit or forge notes of the Polish State Loan Bank, or circulate or attempt to circulate counterfeit or forged notes are punishable by severe imprisonment.) |
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| Comments |
The Polska Krajowa Kasa Pożyczkowa was established in 1916 under German occupation as a parallel monetary authority, issuing Mark-denominated notes to replace Russian rubles in the territories controlled by the German military administration. This ½ Mark was among the first notes the institution produced — Pick #1 in the series — and was printed locally in Łódź by S. Manitius rather than contracted abroad, an unusual choice that reflects both the wartime disruption to normal banking infrastructure and the Germans' interest in demonstrating functional civil governance in occupied Poland.
The Manitius firm was a commercial printer, not a specialist security press, which shows in the relatively modest production values of the issue.