Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Mark Merseburg; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Mannschaftsgefangenenlager Merseburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 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 |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Printed in dark blue on a pale green guilloche underprint, the face is dominated by a large central oval vignette bearing the bold white letterpress denomination "FÜNF MARK" against a dark ground, flanked symmetrically by two circular rosette ornaments. The numeral "5" appears in the upper left and upper right corners, with the issuing authority "Mannschaftsgefangenenlager MERSEBURG" in a banner along the lower edge; the date "MERSEBURG, den 1. Juli 1918" and a manuscript facsimile signature of the Kommandant appear in the lower centre, while regulatory camp-currency text runs vertically along both lateral margins. A black serial number is printed vertically along the right edge. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Mannschaftsgefangenenlager MERSEBURG 5 MARK FÜNF MARK MERSEBURG, den 1. Juli 1918 Der Kommandant Dieses Lagergeld gilt nur als Zahlungsmittel im Lager und bei den für Arbeitskommandos bezeichneten Verkaufsstellen. Einlösung erfolgt nur durch das Gefangenenlager Merseburg. Scheine, bei denen die Nummer ganz oder teilweise fehlt, werden nicht eingelöst. (Translation: Prisoners of war camp Merseburg. Five mark. Merseburg, July 1st, 1918. The commander. This camp money is valid only as currency within the camp and at the sales outlets designated for work commandos. Redemption takes place only through the Merseburg prison camp. Notes that are missing the number in whole or in part will not be redeemed.) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Mannschaftsgefangenenlager Merseburg was an enlisted men's prisoner-of-war camp in Saxony-Anhalt, and like dozens of German PoW camps in the final years of the First World War, it issued its own internal scrip to prevent captives from accumulating Reichsmark currency that could theoretically fund escape attempts. The 5 Mark denomination sits at the high end of what most camp administrations felt comfortable circulating internally — many camps capped usable scrip well below this figure.
1918 issues from German PoW camps are particularly short-lived by definition: the Armistice in November that year ended camp operations abruptly, and scrip became worthless overnight.