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5 Cents Roswell; Internment Camp
| Issuer | U.S. Internment Camp Post Exchange, Roswell, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943-1946 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper (pink) |
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| Obverse description | Pink paper stock with navy blue letterpress print throughout. The left panel bears the issuer's name and location in bold block lettering, with the word EXCHANGE enclosed in a decorative cartouche with tab extensions; a red serial number and italic validity warning appear at lower left. The right panel is demarcated by a ruled border and carries the large numeral '5' above the denomination CENTS. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse entirely unprinted, presenting the plain pink paper stock with no text, vignette, or ornamentation of any kind. |
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| Comments |
Roswell Army Air Field operated a prisoner-of-war camp holding Axis POWs during and immediately after the war, and the Post Exchange scrip issued there was a standard tool for managing camp commerce — prisoners could earn wages under Geneva Convention provisions and spend them only within the camp economy. The pink color coding on this denomination was deliberate: different colors prevented denomination substitution and made black-market conversion into U.S. currency marginally harder.
Camp scrip from Roswell is considerably scarcer than equivalent issues from larger installations. The camp population fluctuated and the scrip series saw limited total print runs.