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5 Cents Wheeler PoW Camp
| Issuer | Camp Wheeler Prisoner of War Camp Canteen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940-1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Yes |
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| Obverse description | Printed entirely in red on yellow stock, the voucher is divided into two panels by a vertical rule. The left panel carries multiline letterpress text identifying the issuer and a validity expiration date of 25 June 1945, above a large alphanumeric serial number. The right panel, framed by a simple geometric border, displays the denomination numeral '5' above the word 'CENTS' in bold block lettering. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Entirely plain yellow paper stock with no printed design, text, or ornamentation; a faint rectangular border impression from the obverse printing is visible through the stock. |
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| Comments |
Camp Wheeler, a U.S. Army infantry training post near Macon, Georgia, held Axis prisoners of war during the Second World War under the terms of the Geneva Convention, which required the detaining power to provide canteen facilities for POWs. These scrip issues satisfied that obligation while keeping enemy nationals entirely outside the civilian monetary system — German or Italian prisoners could accumulate credit and spend within the wire, but the notes were worthless beyond it.
Denominations were typically simple and the printing utilitarian by necessity. The 5-cent value would have covered small canteen luxuries — tobacco, soap, or occasionally beer — that camps were required to make available.