Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
10 centimes - Le Mans
| Issuer | Dépôt de Prisonniers de Guerre, 4e Région |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Centimes (0.10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed in black on buff-coloured paper, the obverse carries the issuing authority title and regional designation in bold capitals at the top, with the denomination expressed as "BON de 0.10 cent." in large central text. A serial number is present at the lower left, and a blue administrative handstamp is applied to the left margin. The note is perforated on all sides in the manner of a postal stamp or ticket coupon. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Dépôt de Prisonniers de Guerre 4° RÉGION BON de 0.10 cent. (Translation: Prisoners of War Depot of the 4th Region. Voucher of 10 centimes.) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
French prisoner-of-war camp currency, issued by the 4th Military Region's POW depot at Le Mans during the First World War. These fractional notes filled a genuine practical gap: German and Austro-Hungarian prisoners needed a medium of exchange for canteen purchases, and allowing them access to official French francs was considered a security risk. The solution was a closed monetary system, redeemable only within the camp perimeter.
Le Mans held a significant prisoner population through much of the conflict. Camp-issued scrip from this depot survives in noticeably small quantities — most was recalled and destroyed at repatriation in 1919.