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5 Mark Torgau; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Kommandantur des Offizier-Gefangenenlagers Torgau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914-1918 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed voucher on cream paper with a central green guilloche underprint band running horizontally across the note. The denomination numeral "5" is printed in large bold type at centre, flanked on either side by the word "Mark" in heavy black letterpress. Issuing authority inscription appears in the upper left quadrant in black text. A handwritten authorisation signature in violet ink crosses the face diagonally. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Kommandantur des Offizier-Gefangenenlagers Torgau Mark 5 Mark |
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| Comments |
Torgau's officer prisoner-of-war camp operated under a system of internal scrip precisely because the Hague Convention of 1907 prohibited confiscating officers' personal funds outright. The camp administration was obliged to accept real currency and issue equivalent camp money in return — a legal workaround that kept hard currency out of circulation within the wire and reduced escape-financing opportunities without technically violating international law.
Officer camps ran on a different economy than enlisted facilities. Commissioned prisoners received pay according to their rank, could order goods through approved channels, and in some cases maintained surprisingly elaborate internal markets. The 5 Mark denomination covered meaningful purchases.