Swakopmunder Buchhandlung notes.

Does anyone know anything about these notes? They were issued between 1916 & 1918.There was a range of denominations from 10 Pfennig to 3 Mark.

Aidan.

 

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Hi Aiden dont know if this site will be of great help but they might have some info

http://www.germannotes.com/colonies_west_africa.shtml

De Orc

 

"Emergency Issues

After English and south-african troops occupied the colony in 1915, several emergency issues of money were given out. The bookshop in Swakopmunde (Swakopmunder Buchhandlung) was asked to create bills that were used in the colony until 1918."

Shades of the African Queen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043265/ with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn...

 

Steve,that is very interesting.I have heard of the city of Swakopmund,as I have got a South West African 30c. postal order that was issued there in the 1980's.I was trying to get a translation of 'Buchhandlung',as my knowledge of the German language is very limited.The Swakopmunder Buchhandlung notes are really notes from South West Africa as opposed to German South West Africa.Therefore,these are British Commonwealth banknotes.

Aidan.

 

Swakopmunder Buchhandlung notes.
I had mine taken out with my tonsils.

 

Here's an article about Swakopmund; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swakopmund .

Aidan.

 

Interesting article thanks Aiden :thumb:

De Orc :kewl:

 

The Swakopmund Buchhandlung notes are from German Southwest Africa. German Southwest Africa did not become British Southwest Africa until after WWI. These are considered German notes and are catalogued in the Rosenberg catalogue of German notes.

The African Queen takes place in East Afica (Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya) not in Southwest Africa.

 

South West Africa.

Lettow,German South West Africa was taken over by South Africa in 1915,so therefore these notes are really South West African notes (& British Commonwealth issues),because they were issued between 1916 & 1918,even though they are inscribed in Pfennigs & Marks.It was in around 1920,that South West Africa became a League of Nations mandate.

Aidan.

 

Aidan:

Having collected German African colony notes for over 15 years I am well aware of the history of Southwest Africa. Military occupation is not synonymous with conquest. The occupation of Southwest Africa may have begun in 1915 but the territory was not lost by Germany until the Treaty of Versailles was signed.

Remember also that these are local issues not government ones.

By your analysis, Philippine guerrilla notes would be Japanese issues because Japan occupied the Philippines at the time they were issued.

You can argue all you want but if you ask any collector of these notes whether they are German or British notes they will tell you they are German ones.

 

Just one question :smile who controlled the printing presses that they were made on, the Germans or the British? If they were printed under German mandate then they are German If the British were responsible then they are British

De Orc :kewl:

 

Steve,in the case of South West Africa,it was the South Africans,who took over German South West Africa on behalf of the British Empire in 1915.New Zealand also took over German Samoa on behalf of the British Empire in 1914,so British currency became the official standard in Western Samoa.

Therefore,the Swakopmunder Buchhandlung notes are South West African notes,even though they are inscribed in German.German is actually still spoken by some people in Namibia,even though there is a very strong anti-German sentiment.

Lettow,you haven't answered my question,"What does 'Swakopmunder Buchhandlung' translate to in English?".

Aidan.

 

I'm not Lettow but it's (Swakopmunder Buchhandlung) not very nice

Ben

 

Buchhandlung means book shop

So it means Swakopmunder Book Shop So it leterally means "Notes from the book shop in Swakopmunder."

 

Thank you for that.

Aidan.

 

As I pointed out in an earlier message, these were an emergency issue. They were not printed by the occupation authorities, they were printed by a local merchant (the Swakopmunder Buchhandler which was a German operation) for local use although they did eventually circulate throughout the territory. The occupation authorities prohibited the circlulation of these notes in 1918.

If you accept Aidan's premise, the occupation authorities asked a local printer to make notes and then banned their circulation. Does this make any sense? Of course not.

These notes were issued by Germans for their own use not for use by the occupation authorities.

 

Lettow,as I explained earlier,Namibia still has a community of German descent that is very strong.You're right about the notes being a private issue.I did not say that the South African authorites banned their circulation at all.As these were issued after 1915,they are a British Commonwealth issue.

Aidan.

 

Lettow and Aidan - neither of you is going to convince the other, so let's get back to discussing coins instead of arguing about who struck John.

 

Too right,Roy.I was trying to explain why the Swakopmunder Buchhandlung notes are regarded as being a South West African issue (& therefore,a British Commonwealth issue),as opposed to a German South West African issue.He was implying something that I did not mention.

There's nowhere I have said that these notes were banned from circulation.

Aidan.