Cigarettes
During World War II, and especially in prisoner-of-war camps, cigarettes became a powerful underground currency. Their value came from uniformity, high demand, and limited supply. POWs traded them for food, clothing, or favors, and entire micro-economies formed behind barbed wire fences.
Even non-smokers accepted cigarettes as payment, purely for their barter power. In some camps, “cigarette inflation” even occurred when too many Red Cross packages arrived. It’s a smoky reminder that money is less about what it is and more about what people agree it’s worth.
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