Catalog
1 Pfennig Karlsruhe; PoW Camp
| Issuer | XIV Armeekorps (Karlsruhe) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 18.5 x 14.5 mm |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | XIV Armeekorps 1 Pfennig |
| Reverse description | Reverse is entirely plain, showing unprinted paper with a slightly textured surface and perforated edges on all sides consistent with the stamp format of the voucher. |
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| Comments |
German prisoner-of-war camp money issued under the authority of the XIV Armeekorps, headquartered in Karlsruhe, was a distinctly World War One phenomenon — the German military administered its own camp currency systems to control canteen transactions and prevent prisoners from accumulating Reichsmark that might fund escape attempts. The XIV Armeekorps oversaw several camps in the Baden region.
At roughly the size of a postage stamp, this is among the smallest denominations in the entire German PoW camp money series — the 1 Pfennig had essentially no purchasing power even within camp canteens, which raises genuine questions about whether these circulated in any meaningful volume or were produced largely for accounting completeness.