10 Heller Aschach a. d. Donau POW

Aschach an der Donau, on the south bank of the Danube in Upper Austria, held prisoners of war under Austro-Hungarian administration from 1914 onward. Camp scrip like this 10 Heller note was a practical instrument of internal control — it confined purchasing power to the camp canteen and prevented prisoners from accumulating currency that could fund an escape attempt.

Haas & Comp. in Steyr produced this for a captive market, literally. The Steyr press handled numerous camp issues across the region during these years, which makes distinguishing between camps largely a matter of overprint text and serial ranges rather than printing style.