1 Pfennig Zossen-Weinberge; PoW Camp

Zossen-Weinberge was one of the large German prisoner-of-war camps established during the First World War, holding tens of thousands of men at its peak — Russian, French, and British prisoners among them. Camp scrip like this Pfennig note circulated internally as a controlled substitute for Reich currency, a deliberate policy to prevent prisoners from accumulating spendable money that might fund escape attempts or purchase contraband from guards.

Otto Lange's Berlin press produced scrip for multiple camp systems during the war, working to tight official specifications. The low denomination suggests a canteen economy where small transactions — tobacco, soap, minor foodstuffs — were the daily reality of captivity.