2 Korona POW Camp; Ostffyasszonyfa

One of dozens of Austro-Hungarian prisoner-of-war camp currencies produced during the First World War, this 2 Korona note from Ostffyasszonyfa belongs to a category of purely internal scrip — legal tender only within the wire, redeemable nowhere else. The camp at Ostffyasszonyfa, in western Hungary near Szombathely, held primarily Russian and Italian prisoners. Globus was a legitimate commercial Budapest printer, not a security press, which shows in the relatively modest production values of the series.

Camp scrip of this type was deliberately non-negotiable outside its issuing installation, a deliberate policy to prevent funds from reaching local civilian populations or financing escape attempts.