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10 Mark Helmstedt; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Offizier-Gefangenen-Lager Helmstedt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1918 |
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| Reference(s) | Camb#3108 |
| Obverse description | Printed in black on yellow paper, the face is enclosed within a decorative border composed of repeated dot-and-dash guilloche ornaments, with the numeral 10 in each corner. The upper portion carries the legend "Gutschein über" in bold letterpress, above a ruled panel bearing the large-format denomination inscription "ZEHN MARK". Below, a further panel identifies the issuing authority as "Offizier-Gefangenen-Lager Helmstedt", with manuscript authorization signatures across the top margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 10 Gutschein über ZEHN MARK Offizier-Gefangenen-Lager Helmstedt (Translation: Voucher for ten mark. Officer prisoner of war camp Helmstedt.) |
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| Comments |
Helmstedt's officer prisoner-of-war camp was one of dozens of German facilities that issued their own internal scrip during the First World War, but the officer camps occupy a distinct category. Under the Hague Convention, captured officers could not be compelled to work, so the economic logic of camp currency was different here — it controlled purchasing at the canteen rather than substituting for labor wages.
The yellow paper stock is characteristic of the Helmstedt issues and helped prevent substitution with standard Reichsmark notes circulating outside the wire.