World Coins - Africa，GERMAN EAST AFRICA: Wilhelm II, 1888-1918, AV 15 rupien, 1916-T, KM-16, elephan

World Coins - Africa，GERMAN EAST AFRICA: Wilhelm II, 1888-1918, AV 15 rupien, 1916-T, KM-16, elephant right , Imperial eagle with shield on breast, right arabesque ends below the first A of OSTAFRIKA, possible mount removal, EF. Gold bullion from the Kironda gold mine, near Sekenke, some 120 miles northeast of Tabora, was carried by porters through the African bush to Tabora. The mining engineer in charge of the mine, Dr. Friedrich Schumacher, was asked by the colonial governor to strike as many coins as possible using what limited resources were available. The basic information regarding how to mint such coins was found in a large Meyers Encyclopaedia in the governors office. An emergency mint was established in a railway workshop at Tabora, where for security reasons a corrugated iron shelter was erected inside the building in order to produce the gold coins. The workforce consisted of two Indians, six Africans and seven Sinhalese goldsmiths recruited in Dar es Salaam. The raw gold brought from the Kironda mine contained up to around 20% silver in its natural state and was exported that way unrefined before the naval blockade. A uniform fineness of gold in the new coin was set at 75% by adding copper to the alloy of gold and silver. Despite the fact that the official rate of exchange was 15 rupien to 20 German marks, in reality, each 15 rupien coin contained the gold equivalent of 15 German marks.