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1 Cent Kilmer PoW Canteen
| Issuer | Camp Kilmer Prisoner of War Camp Canteen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1946 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed entirely in green with a simple border frame; the central field carries the denomination numeral '1' at left and the inscriptions 'PRISONER OF WAR CAMP CANTEEN' and 'CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY' in bold letterpress. A red serial number appears in the lower centre, with the cautionary notice 'Void After Date Stamped on Cover' below it. The denomination '1 CENT' is repeated within a bordered panel at right, framed by a decorative green rule. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Completely plain, unprinted surface of light green-tinted paper stock with visible fibrous texture, bearing no text, imagery, or ornamentation. |
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| Comments |
Camp Kilmer, located near New Brunswick, New Jersey, was primarily a transit camp for U.S. troops shipping out to Europe — but in the final months of the war and through 1946 it also held German prisoners of war. Canteen scrip of this type was issued to PoWs as a substitute for U.S. currency, per Geneva Convention requirements that prohibited detaining powers from confiscating prisoners' pay while also restricting access to real money that could fund escape attempts.
The 1-cent denomination is the lowest in the Kilmer PoW canteen series, used for small purchases within the camp store. Campbell and Schwan catalogue these notes as genuinely scarce survivors — most scrip was redeemed and destroyed at the end of the PoW program in 1946.