50 Pfennigs Cassel PoW Camp

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.