Catalog
2 Mark Groß-Poritsch; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Kriegsgefangenenlager Groß-Poritsch |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Yes |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Black letterpress text on a cream ground with a brown guilloche underprint at centre. The camp title 'Kriegsgefangenenlager Groß-Poritsch' runs across the top in bold gothic type, with the denomination numeral '2' repeated in each corner within a decorative border of interlocking ornamental scrollwork. The value 'ZWEI MARK' is set in large bold type across the middle of the note, superimposed over the central brown guilloche vignette, with the authorising text, date, and a manuscript signature of the Commandant Major arranged in the lower portion. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse entirely unprinted, with a plain pale yellow paper surface showing faint bleed-through of the obverse underprint. |
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| Comments |
Groß-Poritsch was a German prisoner-of-war camp operating during the First World War, and like most such facilities it ran its own internal scrip to prevent real currency from circulating among the prisoner population — and, more practically, to stop it from being hoarded, used for bribery, or carried out during escape attempts. These camp issues had no value outside the wire.
Johannes Pässler of Dresden produced a substantial number of these Lagergeld commissions for various German camps during the war years, making him one of the more prolific printers of this obscure category. The Cambach reference 3049 places this firmly within the documented series.