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20 Heller Grödig PoW camp
| Issuer | Kriegsgefangenen-Lager Grödig |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Green-tinted camp money voucher with a fine horizontal-line guilloche underprint. The denomination '20 HELLER' appears in green ovals at each upper corner, with a serial number above centre. Bold shadowed letterpress text reads 'LAGERGELD / im KRIEGSGEFANGENEN-LAGER / GRÖDIG' within a lobed cartouche. Two manuscript signatures appear at foot, with printed titles 'VERWALTUNGS-OFFICIER' and 'LAGER COMMANDANT'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse printed in grey-green with the same horizontal-line guilloche underprint as the obverse, but without a serial number. Central lobed cartouche carries the identical bold shadowed 'LAGERGELD / im KRIEGSGEFANGENEN-LAGER / GRÖDIG' inscription. Denomination numerals '20' in guilloche ovals occupy both upper corners, and two facsimile signatures with their printed role titles appear at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
Grödig, near Salzburg, operated as an Austro-Hungarian prisoner of war camp during the First World War, holding tens of thousands of primarily Russian and Italian captives at its peak. Camps of this scale required internal scrip to prevent hard currency from accumulating among prisoners or being extracted by guards — the Lagergeld system was administratively mandated, not improvised.
The 20 Heller denomination sits at the practical working end of the camp's internal economy, used for canteen purchases. Paper camp currency of this type was destroyed in bulk after repatriation, and survivorship is largely accidental.