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50 Reichspfennig P.O.W. Camps
| Issuer | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939-1944 |
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| Reference(s) | S&B#193 |
| Obverse description | Black letterpress text on green paper, centred on a large red triangle vignette bearing the denomination numeral '50'. A Wehrmacht eagle with swastika underprint appears at lower left, and a serial number is positioned at upper right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse is entirely unprinted green paper, blank of any text, vignette, or ornamentation, consistent with the utilitarian, camp-issue nature of this wartime voucher. |
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| Comments |
The OKW issued a tiered series of Lagergeld — camp money — for Allied prisoners held under German military jurisdiction, with denominations color-coded to restrict purchasing power by rank and nationality. This 50 Reichspfennig piece in green sat in the middle of that hierarchy. The notes were redeemable only at designated canteens within specific camp types, preventing any accumulation of currency that could fund escape attempts or black-market trade with guards.
The Geneva Convention of 1929 actually obligated Germany to pay working enlisted prisoners, and Lagergeld was the mechanism used to technically comply while keeping real currency out of camp circulation entirely. Whether that satisfied the Convention's intent was, and remains, contested.