Catalog
50 Pfennigs Lechfeld; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Kriegsgefangenenlager Lechfeld (Prisoner of War Camp Lechfeld) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Composition | Paper (yellow) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Kriegsgefangenenlager Lechfeld. Gutschein über 50 fünfzig Pfennige. Lager Lechfeld, 15. November 1915. Himmer, Augsburg (Translation: Prisoner of war camp Lechfeld. Voucher for fifty pfennigs. Lechfeld Camp, November 15, 1915) |
| Reverse description | Plain yellow paper stock, unprinted save for a single handwritten authorization signature in black ink applied toward the lower right corner. |
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| Comments |
Lechfeld was a military airfield and training ground south of Augsburg, repurposed early in the war as a prisoner of war camp. This Lagergeld — camp scrip — was a practical necessity: German authorities needed a contained medium of exchange to prevent PoWs from accumulating Reichsmark currency that could fund escape attempts or be smuggled out. Himmer's press in Augsburg was the logical choice for small regional print runs of this kind, close enough for quick turnaround and experienced in official jobbing work.
Yellow paper was deliberately chosen to distinguish the scrip visually from legal tender at a glance — a security measure, not a design preference.