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5 Pfennig Köln; Officer PoW Camp
| Issuer | Offizier-Gefangenenlager Köln am Rhein (Officer Prisoner-of-War Camp Cologne on the Rhine) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | OFFIZIER-GEFANGENENLAGER KÖLN A.RH. GUT FÜR 5 PFENNIG DER KOMMANDANT: Köln am Rhein 1. Oktober 1918 KEIN OFFENTLICHES ZAHLUNGSMITTEL M. DuMont Schauberg, Köln. (Translation: Officer prisoner of war camp Cologne on Rhine. Good for 5 pfennigs. The commandant. Cologne on Rhine. October 1st, 1918. Not legal tender for public use.) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Dieses Lagergeld gilt nur als Zahlungsmittel innerhalb des Gefangenenlagers. Der Betrag für diesen Gutschein wird bei Entlassung des Gefangenen in bar ausgezahlt, bei Überweisung in ein anderes Lager dahin überwiesen. Scheine, bei denen die Nummer ganz oder teilweise fehlt, werden nicht eingelöst. (Translation: This camp money is only valid as a means of payment within the prisoner-of-war camp. The amount for this voucher will be paid out in cash upon the prisoner's release, or transferred there if they are moved to another camp. Notes on which the number is completely or partially missing will not be redeemed.) |
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| Comments |
Offizier-Gefangenenlager Köln am Rhein was one of several German officer-grade internment facilities operating during the final year of the First World War, and like many such camps it issued its own internal scrip to manage transactions within the wire — preventing prisoners from accumulating Reichsmark currency that could fund escape attempts. The 5 Pfennig denomination is the smallest practical unit, suggesting these were issued alongside a ladder of higher values for canteen or mess use.
M. DuMont Schauberg, the Cologne press responsible for printing, was — and remains — one of Germany's oldest newspaper publishing houses, founded in the seventeenth century. Camp scrip was mundane contract work, but it localizes the note firmly to Cologne rather than to any central military printing authority.