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20 Heller Mauthausen; PoW Camp
| Issuer | K.u.k. Kriegsgefangenenlager Mauthausen (Imperial and Royal Prisoner of War Camp Mauthausen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1918 |
| 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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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed in black and red on a yellow underprint. The Imperial Austro-Hungarian coat of arms appears as a central vignette at the upper portion of the note. The text is arranged in multiple registers across the face, with the denomination stated both in numerals and in words, above and below the principal inscription block. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | DEPOSITEN-VERWALTUNGSKOMMISSION DER KRIEGSGEFANGENEN IN MAUTHAUSEN |
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| Comments |
Mauthausen operated as an Austro-Hungarian prisoner of war camp during the First World War — entirely distinct from, and predating, the notorious SS concentration camp established at the same Upper Austrian site in 1938. The K.u.k. Kriegsgefangenenlager system issued its own internal camp currency to prevent prisoners from accumulating standard coinage, which could finance escape attempts or be smuggled out. These Heller denominations functioned only within the wire.
Printing quality and paper stock vary considerably across the camp scrip series, as production was handled administratively rather than by any established note printer. Mauthausen camp notes surface rarely in trade — most were voided and destroyed at war's end or simply discarded by repatriated prisoners who had no further use for them.