Windau 50 kopeek 1915
About This Note
A VF condition example of the Windau City Municipality's 50 kopeck emergency currency from 1915, featuring a distinctive light blue-green colored design with a central heraldic coat of arms. The note displays clear Russian inscriptions including the denomination, municipal issuer information, and a promise to redeem the note upon the end of World War I, making it an important artifact of the Russian Empire's wartime financial emergency measures during its occupation of Latvia.
Common. Windau municipal emergency notes from 1915 were issued in substantial quantities to meet local circulation demands during the wartime period. While these notes are historically significant and increasingly scarce in high grades due to age and usage, this specific denomination and issuer saw moderate print runs typical of municipal emergency currency. The VF condition and identifiable serial number do not elevate rarity beyond the normal availability for this note type.
Issued during World War I when the Windau (Ventspils) city administration required emergency currency to maintain local commerce during wartime disruptions, this note reflects the complex financial situation of the Russian Empire's western territories. The redemption promise inscribed on the front—'The Windau City Municipality undertakes to pay the present promissory note immediately upon the end of war'—demonstrates how local authorities adapted to monetary scarcity when central banking systems were strained. The heraldic emblem and official municipal seal on the reverse represent the legitimate authority of the Windau city administration to issue such emergency money.
The obverse features a rectangular compositional frame in light blue-green tones containing a central municipal heraldic emblem rendered with geometric cross-hatching patterns, flanked by denomination information in both standard (КОП.) and abbreviated (СОР.) kopeck notations. The legal text concerning punishment for forgery and the redemption clause occupy the lower portions of the face. The reverse displays a circular official municipal seal impression in purple-blue ink bearing the inscription 'ГОРОДСКАЯ УПРАВА * ВИНДАВА' with what appears to be a geographic or symbolic representation in the seal's center, set against the same light blue-green background. The serial number 95112 appears in the top left corner of the obverse.
FRONT: 'ВИНДАВСКОЕ ГОРОДСКОЕ САМОУПРАВЛЕНИЕ' (Windau City Municipality), '50 КОП.' / '50 СОР.' (50 Kopecks), 'подтвка карается поугсловв. законами' (forgery is punished by conditional laws), 'Вид. Городск. Самоупр. обязуется оплатить на-астояш. долговую расписку немедл. по омоч. войны.' (The Windau City Municipality undertakes to pay the present promissory note immediately upon the end of war), '№95112' (Serial number 95112). BACK: 'ГОРОДСКАЯ УПРАВА * ВИНДАВА' (City Administration * Windau).
Letterpress printing with colored tinting, evidenced by the uniform light blue-green background coloring and the crisp, clear impression of the heraldic emblem and circular seal. The printing demonstrates the practical approach typical of emergency municipal currency production during World War I, utilizing standard printing capabilities rather than advanced security features.
Serial number 95112 is recorded on this example. Known varieties of Windau 50 kopeck notes from 1915 may exist based on serial number ranges, printer variants, or minor design elements, though this specific Pick catalog designation appears to represent the standard municipal issue. No overprints or secondary markings are visible on this example.
