German South West African Mark facts for kids
The Mark was the money used in a place called German South West Africa. This was between the years 1885 and 1915. Before 1914, people used the regular German Mark. When World War I started, new paper money called Deutsch-Südwestafrikanische Mark was made. These banknotes came in values like 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 Marks.
How the Mark Was Used
From 1884 to 1901, the main money in German South West Africa was the British Pound Sterling. But in 1885, the German South West African Mark started to be used too.
In 1893, people could exchange 1 British Pound for 20 Marks. The British Pound had a bit more gold in it than 20 Marks. Because of this, the Mark slowly took over from the British Pound. This is like a rule called Gresham's Law, which says that "bad money drives out good."
In 1901, the German Mark became the official money. This meant the older 5 and 20 Mark coins of German South West Africa were no longer official. They were "demonetized," meaning they were not legal money anymore.
However, these older coins were still used in Germany until 1907. Later, in 1923, all the coins of the German South West African Mark were also demonetized.
When World War I began, new paper money was printed. This continued until 1915. That year, South Africa took control of the area. They replaced the Mark with the Pound.
Between 1916 and 1918, the Chamber of Commerce in Windhoek printed special vouchers. These vouchers were called Gutscheine and were in Pfennig and Mark values.
Banknotes from 1914
After World War I started, new paper money was printed. These banknotes were called "cash-coupon banknotes."
They came in five different values:
- 5 Marks
- 10 Marks
- 20 Marks
- 50 Marks
- 100 Marks
Sources
- Banknotes of German South West Africa
