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10 Francs - Cantine des P. G. A.
| Issuer | Houillères du Bassin du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1948 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Typeset letterpress print in black on plain beige paper stock, entirely without vignette, guilloche underprint, or ornamental border. The issuing authority and group designation appear in the upper portion in smaller type, centred above the prominent face-value legend "BON pour 10 francs", followed by two lines restricting redemption to camp canteen merchandise. The signatory's title is set at lower left alongside a manuscript signature, with a handwritten serial number prefixed "No" at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse entirely unprinted, consisting solely of the plain beige paper stock, showing only natural aging and surface marks consistent with circulation use. |
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| Comments |
Houillères du Bassin du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais was the nationalized coal-mining authority created by French ordinance in December 1944, absorbing the private collieries of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais coalfields. These canteen tokens in note form — "Cantine des P.G.A." standing for Prisonniers de Guerre Allemands — were issued specifically for German POW laborers assigned to the mines, who were put to work rebuilding coal output devastated by wartime occupation and deliberate German flooding of the shafts before retreat.
The scrip confined purchasing power to on-site canteens, preventing POWs from acquiring French currency. France continued using German prisoner labor in the mines into 1948, well past the formal end of hostilities.