Italian Somaliland rupia
The rupia (plural: rupie, Somali: روپيا) was the currency in Italian Somaliland from 1909 to 1925. It was subdivided into 64 bese (singular: besa, Somali: بيزا), mirroring the Indian rupee which was divided into 64 paisa (before decimalisation).
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[edit] History
The rupia was introduced between 1909 and 1910. First, bronze coins denominated in besa were introduced, followed by silver coins denominated in rupia in 1910. The rupia replaced several currencies, including the Maria Theresa thaler and the Indian rupee, to which it was equal. The rupia was replaced by the Italian Somaliland lira during a transition period between July 1, 1925, and June 30, 1926 [1], at a rate of 8 lire = 1 rupia.
Since the rupia's replacement, several currencies have circulated in what was Italian Somaliland, including the Italian East African lira, the East African shilling, the Italian Somaliland somalo and the Somali shilling.
[edit] Coins
In 1909, bronze coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 2 and 4 bese. These were followed, in 1910, by silver ¼, ½ and 1 rupia. The silver coins were struck to the same specifications as those of the Indian rupee. Silver coins were struck until 1921, with bronze continuing until 1924.
[edit] Banknotes
The first banknotes were produced by an Italian trading company, V. Filonadi & C., in 1893. They were for 5 rupie. Official banknotes were introduced in 1920 by the Banca d'Italia. These were cash certificates (buoni di cassa) in denominations of 1, 5 and 10 rupie. 10 and 20 rupie were printed but not issued.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/somalia(part1).htm The Banknotes of Somalia by Peter Symes
- Krause, Chester L., and Clifford Mishler (1991). Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1801–1991 (18th ed. ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873411501.
- Pick, Albert (1994). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues. Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer (editors) (7th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-207-9.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: Indian rupee Ratio: at par |
Currency of Italian Somaliland 1909 – 1925 Concurrent with: Indian rupee and Maria Theresa thaler |
Succeeded by: Italian Somaliland lira Ratio: 8 lire = 1 rupia |
| Preceded by: Maria Theresa Thaler Ratio: 1 rupia = 32/75 thaler |
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