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50 Pfennig Frankfurt an der Oder; PoW Camp

Issuer Inspektion der Kriegsgefangenenlager im Bereich des III. Armeekorps
Year 1917
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Currency Mark (1873-1923)
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Obverse description Black letterpress on a deep red-pink guilloche underprint, with an ornamental border repeating the legend 'IGEFORDE' along all four margins. A central rectangular vignette in black bears the denomination '50 Pfennig 50' in large bold numerals within oval cartouches. The heading 'Inspektion der Kriegsgefangenenlager im Bereich des III. Armeekorps' appears at the top with a decorative spread-eagle device. Below the central vignette, the date 'Berlin, den 1. Okt. 1917' is printed between the facsimile signatures of the Inspekteur (Waldhausen) and the Adjutant, with the serial number and the cautionary text regarding incomplete serial numbers printed at the base.
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Signature(s) Waldhausen (Inspekteur) and Lorenz (Adjutant)
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Comments

The Inspektion der Kriegsgefangenenlager im Bereich des III. Armeekorps administered prisoner-of-war camps across the Brandenburg region, and this scrip was issued specifically for use within those enclosures — a closed currency that could not be spent outside the wire. The practical logic was straightforward: prevent prisoners from accumulating Reichsmark that might fund an escape attempt.

Ambrosius & Co. GmbH in Kirchhain produced a significant share of German PoW camp scrip during the war years, making them something of a specialist printer for this unglamorous corner of wartime finance. The Waldhausen and Lorenz signatures represent the inspection authority, not the individual camp commandants.

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