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1 Krone Marchtrenk; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Kriegsgefangenenlager Marchtrenk (Prisoner of War Camp Marchtrenk) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Crown (1892-1918) |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed voucher in black ink over a warm orange guilloche underprint, with a decorative border of fine repeated ornamental units enclosing the entire face. The denomination numeral "1" appears in dark oval cartouches at all four corners, and the central area carries the title "GUTSCHEIN" in bold blackletter type alongside a serial number. The camp name "Marchtrenk" and the value "1 Krone" in large Gothic script occupy the centre, with the date "November 1917" below, and two manuscript facsimile signatures over their respective printed titles at the foot. A red cancellation stamp is visible at the upper centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | GUTSCHEIN No 029,183 Giltig nur für den Geldverkehr der Kriegsgefangenen innerhalb des Kriegsgefangenenlagers Marchtrenk 1 Krone November 1917 Lagerkommandant Depositen-Verwalter (Translation: Voucher No. 029,183. Valid only for the monetary transactions of prisoners of war within the prisoner of war camp Marchtrenk. 1 Krone. November 1917. Camp Commandant. Deposit Administrator.) |
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| Comments |
Marchtrenk, in Upper Austria, housed a substantial prisoner of war camp during the First World War, and like many Austro-Hungarian PoW facilities, it issued its own internal scrip to prevent prisoners from accumulating currency usable outside the wire. These camp notes circulated exclusively within the compound and were redeemable only at the camp canteen — the deliberate intent being that escape would leave a prisoner holding worthless paper.
PoW camp issues from Habsburg facilities in 1917 were produced under increasingly strained wartime conditions. Printing quality is often inconsistent across the series, and surviving examples vary considerably in paper weight and ink saturation, reflecting supply shortages rather than design changes.