10 Centesimi Asinara

Asinara, a small island off the northwestern tip of Sardinia, served as one of Italy's principal prisoner-of-war camps during the First World War. The camp's internal currency was a practical necessity — standard Italian lire were banned from circulation among prisoners to prevent bribery, escape financing, and black-market dealings with guards. These notes functioned solely within the camp perimeter.

The embossed stamp was the primary anti-counterfeiting measure, applied by camp administration rather than a professional security printer. Crude by any commercial standard, but sufficient for the purpose.

Asinara held significant numbers of Austro-Hungarian prisoners, and by 1916 severe overcrowding had turned the facility into a site of considerable mortality from disease.