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1 Cent Florence; PoW Camp
| Issuer | PW Camp Canteens, Florence, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1946 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress print on orange paper. A rectangular frame encloses the large numeral "1" in a left-side panel, with "PW CAMP CANTEENS" and "Florence, Arizona" in bold type at centre. A serial number is printed vertically at right; "MERCHANDISE ONLY" appears in a ruled panel at the base. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 1 CENT PW CAMP CANTEENS Florence, Arizona MERCHANDISE ONLY |
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| Comments |
Florence, Arizona held German and Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War, and the camp canteen system required a scrip currency to prevent POWs from accumulating U.S. legal tender — a stipulation driven by both Geneva Convention compliance and practical security concerns. Each camp operated its own internal economy, and the denominations, designs, and printing quality varied enormously from site to site.
Florence's 1-cent scrip was almost certainly produced locally on basic equipment, which accounts for the crude typography common to this issue. POW camp scrip from Arizona commands serious collector attention precisely because survival rates are low — most was recalled and destroyed when the camps closed in 1945-46.