Catalog
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| Issuer | Taiwan Prisoner of War Camps |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Taiwanese Yen (1895-1945) |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain blue letterpress printing on cream paper within a simple single-rule rectangular border. The serial number designation "No." appears in manuscript at upper left, with a red circular control handstamp at upper right. The denomination "5 YEN" is printed in bold capital letters at centre, and the inscription "P.O.W. Canteen Ticket" appears in a single line at lower centre. |
| Reverse lettering | No. 5 YEN P.O.W. Canteen Ticket |
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| Comments |
Issued for use within Japanese-administered prisoner of war camps in Taiwan during the Pacific War, these canteen scrip notes were part of a broader Japanese military policy of providing captive Allied personnel with nominal purchasing power — theoretically allowing them to buy supplementary food or comfort items through camp-controlled canteens. In practice, the canteen system varied wildly between camps, and in many facilities almost nothing of substance was available to purchase.
The handstamp serves as the sole security feature, which tells you exactly how provisional these were. They had no life outside the wire.