Catalog
1 Heller Reichenberg PoW Camp
| Issuer | Kriegsgefangenenlager Reichenberg |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 104 x 62 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 1 Heller giltig nur im Kriegsgefangenenlager Reichenberg Kassamitsperrer Lagerkommandant No 075477 |
| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the same design as the obverse in an identical ochre and black letterpress format, with the large oval scrollwork cartouche enclosing the guilloche underprint and bold numeral '1' at the top, the blackletter 'Heller' denomination and horizontal rule beneath, the validity text and 'Reichenberg' camp name in blackletter below, and the two facsimile signature lines with role titles at the foot. No serial number appears on the reverse. A faint rosette underprint element is visible at the base between the signature blocks. |
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| Comments |
Reichenberg — today Liberec in the Czech Republic — hosted one of the Austro-Hungarian prisoner-of-war camp network's smaller facilities during the First World War. These internal camp currencies were a deliberate administrative tool: by restricting prisoners to a closed monetary system, camp authorities could prevent the accumulation of real coinage that might fund escape attempts or bribe guards. The Heller denominations handled the smallest canteen transactions.
Campbell 1440 is among the more obscure entries in the broader Lagergeld documentation. Survival rates for these low-denomination camp issues are poor — not because of heavy use, but because almost no one thought them worth keeping.