Australian Military Administration Currency & Banknote Values

The Australian Military Administration series of German New Guinea in the World Currency contains 9 distinct entries.

The New Guinean mark was the currency of the colony of German New Guinea between 1884 and 1911, and was equal in value to the German mark, which was also legal tender in the colony, although the indigenous people continued to use “primitive money,” such as shells, for an exchange medium.

Initially, only German Reichsbank noten (imperial banknotes) circulated in German New Guinea, but starting on 1 August 1894 the Deutsche Neu-Guinea Compagnie (German New Guinea Company) issued bronze, silver, and gold coins made specifically for the colony. These were demonetized on 15 April 1911, in exchange for German marks which became the only legal tender until 1914.

On 17 September 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, German New Guinea fell to the Australian Navy-Army Expeditionary Force. The Australian Military Administration under the command of Colonel William Holmes requested and received from Australian authorities permission to issue special treasury notes to meet immediate local expenses.