Catalog
2 Mark Wiesa; Officer PoW Camp
| Issuer | Offizier-Gefangenen-Lager Wiesa bei Annaberg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress on grey underprint, with a circular red handstamp applied at centre-right. The Saxon coat of arms — a crowned oval shield with horizontal barry field and diagonal rautenkranz — appears as a vignette at left within an oval frame, flanked by the numeral "2" in each corner. The text body at right details the redemption terms of the voucher in German gothic script, with "ZWEI MARK" in large bold display type as the dominant denomination inscription. |
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| Obverse lettering | 2 OFFIZIER-GEFANGENEN-LAGER WIESA BEI ANNABERG Der Kriegsgefangene, Inhaber dieses Gutscheines, erhält bei seiner Entlassung nach der Heimat oder Ueberweisung in ein anderes Lager gegen Rückgabe den Betrag von ZWEI MARK von der Verwaltung für Gefangenengeld des Offizier-Gefangenenlagers Wiesa bei Annaberg ausbezahlt. Der Schein gilt nur innerhalb des Lagers. Postoffizier Leutnant Wiesa bei Annaberg, 1. Januar 1916. Kommandant Rittmeister JOHANNES PÄSLER DRESDEN-N. (Translation: Officer prisoner of war camp Wiesa near Annaberg. The prisoner of war, holder of this voucher, receives upon his release to the homeland or transfer to another camp upon return, the amount of two mark paid by the administration for prisoner money of the officer prisoner of war camp Wiesa near Annaberg. The note is valid only inside the camp. Postal Officer. Lieutenant. Wiesa near Annaberg, January 1, 1916. Commandant. Cavalry Captain) |
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| Comments |
Wiesa, a small village near Annaberg in Saxony, housed one of the many German officer prisoner-of-war camps that issued their own internal currency during the First World War. The practice was widespread and officially sanctioned — camp scrip kept Allied officers from accumulating Reichsmark that could theoretically fund escape attempts or be smuggled out.
Johannes Pässler of Dresden printed for several regional camps during this period, which occasionally creates attribution confusion when notes lack explicit camp identifiers. The 2 Mark denomination sits in the middle of what was typically a short series covering small daily purchases within the canteen economy.