Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Penny Camp 12; Cowra PoW Camp
| Issuer | Cowra Prisoner of War Camp No. 12 |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941-1947 |
| Type | Vouchers |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Plain grey-buff paper with austere letterpress printing in black. The issuing authority inscription "12 P.O.W. Officers Mess" runs across the upper portion in bold serif capitals, with the denomination "1d" set in large type below. No ornamental devices or guilloche work; the design is entirely typographic. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 12 P.O.W. Officers Mess 1d |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Cowra Camp 12 was one of several Australian prisoner of war facilities that issued internal camp scrip to allow inmates to make small purchases at the canteen without handling Australian legal tender. The denomination structure — including this 1 Penny piece — mirrors civilian currency but carried no value outside the wire.
Cowra is better remembered for the August 1944 breakout, when over 1,000 Japanese prisoners rushed the perimeter in the largest PoW escape of the Pacific theatre. Camp scrip issued before and after that event came from the same facility, though the administrative disruption was considerable.