Catalog
100 Mark Halle P.O.W. Camp
| Issuer | Kommandantur des Offizier-Gefangenenlagers Halle a. S. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Currency | Mark (1873-1923) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black letterpress on green coated cloth, the note carries a simple rectangular border frame. The large diagonal denomination legend 'Hundert Mark' dominates the centre, with the numeral '100' at lower left. A boxed serial number stamp appears in the upper centre area, and a circular blue commandant's handstamp is applied to the left margin. All text is set in plain Gothic typeface with no vignette or decorative underprint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Kassenverwaltung der Gefangenenguthaben des Offizier-Gefangenenlagers Halle a. S. (Translation: Treasury management of prisoner funds of the Officer Prisoner-of-War Camp Halle on the Saale.) |
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| Comments |
One of the more unusual money forms to emerge from the First World War's prisoner-of-war administration system. German POW camp currencies were issued under military authority to control purchasing power within the camps — officers were typically paid according to the Hague Convention rates, but in scrip redeemable only within the camp economy, preventing hard currency from reaching enemy hands or funding escapes.
The cloth substrate with green plastic coating is genuinely rare among WWI camp issues, most of which relied on cardboard or paper. Halle an der Saale housed officer prisoners, and the higher denomination suggests it was designed for relatively substantial internal transactions.