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2 Francs - Le Mans
| Issuer | Dépôt de Prisonniers de Guerre, 4e Région (Le Mans) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1918 |
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| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
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| Obverse description | Salmon-pink paper with perforated edges on all sides. Black letterpress text on a plain ground, with a decorative scroll border running along the left edge. A circular blue administrative handstamp is applied to the left portion of the note. A serial number is printed within a ruled black box at the lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Dépôt de Prisonniers de Guerre 4e RÉGION BON de 2 francs No (Translation: Prisoners of War Depot, 4th Region. Voucher of 2 francs. No.) |
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| Comments |
French prisoner-of-war camps operated their own internal scrip systems during the First World War, partly to prevent German and Austro-Hungarian prisoners from accumulating hard currency that could fund escapes. The 4e Région camp at Le Mans was one of several regional depots issuing locally valid notes redeemable only within the camp economy — worthless outside the wire by design.
These issues were produced under improvised conditions and survive in small numbers, largely because they had no value once hostilities ended and were discarded rather than redeemed.