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1 Mark Stasi Prison Money
| Issuer | Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), DDR |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Red letterpress on pale salmon underprint with a faint overall pattern. The word WERTGUTSCHEIN repeats five times in bold red type across the centre field, with a sixth instance below the denomination. The large numeral 1 appears at lower left, while MARK is set in oversized letters against a wavy guilloche band. A serial number with prefix letter is printed vertically at right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Completely unprinted plain white paper, without any text, imagery, or security elements. |
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| Comments |
The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit operated its own internal currency — known informally as "Lagergeld" — for use within MfS detention facilities, most notably Hohenschönhausen in East Berlin. Prisoners could not hold standard DDR marks; this system prevented any financial transaction that might leave a traceable paper trail or allow detainees to bribe guards with convertible funds. The notes circulated exclusively within the internal prison canteen system.
After reunification, most examples were destroyed or discarded by former MfS personnel during the chaotic dissolution of the service in late 1989 and early 1990, making survivors genuinely uncommon. Quantities issued were never officially documented.