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5 Pfennigs Merseburg; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Mannschaftsgefangenenlager Merseburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress print on a yellow underprint, with an ornate guilloche border and decorative rosette cornerpieces framing the design. The large numeral '5' appears at centre within a circular guilloche vignette, flanked on both sides by the denomination 'FÜNF PFENNIG' in bold capitals; the camp name 'MERSEBURG' is inscribed at top and the issuance date at lower left. A two-line legal disclaimer legend in small type runs along the bottom, with the manuscript signature of the Kommandant at lower right and a black serial number printed vertically along the right margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Mannschaftsgefangenenlager MERSEBURG FÜNF PFENNIG 5 Pfg 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 pfennigs. 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.) |
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| Comments |
Merseburg was a major German prisoner-of-war camp complex during the First World War, holding primarily Russian and later Allied enlisted men — "Mannschaft" denoting the other-ranks status of the inmates, as opposed to officer camps. Camp scrip of this type was issued to prevent detainees from accumulating Reichsmark currency that could fund escape attempts or black-market dealings with local civilians, a concern the German military administration took seriously after 1916.
1918-dated examples from Merseburg are among the later issues in this series, printed as the camp population shifted and German administrative resources were stretched thin in the final war year. Paper quality and print registration on these notes is frequently poor — not a condition issue but a production reality from the outset.