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50 Pfennigs Cassel PoW Camp
| Issuer | Gefangenen-Lager Cassel (Prisoner of War Camp Cassel) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pfennigs (50 Pfennige) (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Identical in layout and violet letterpress print to the obverse, with the denomination numeral '50' flanking the central text block set over guilloche rosette underprints, but without any handstamp. A large black overprint reading 'UNGUELTIG' (Invalid) is applied across the upper portion of the reverse. The disclaimer inscription appears along the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | UNGUELTIG 50 GEFANGENEN-LAGER GUT FÜR FÜNFZIG PFENNIG CASSEL Kein öffentliches Zahlungsmittel. (Translation: Invalid. Prisoner of War Camp. Good for fifty pfennigs. Not legal tender.) |
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| Comments |
German PoW camps during the First World War were required under military administrative orders to issue their own internal currency, preventing prisoners from accumulating Reichsmarks that could fund escape attempts or bribe guards. Cassel's camp scrip belongs to that system — locally produced, intentionally non-transferable outside the wire.
Paper issues from Cassel are notably fragile. The lightweight stock used across most German camp issues of this period degrades readily, and examples that passed through heavy daily use in the camp canteen rarely survived intact.