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Escape Map Playing Cards?


tdogchristy90
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tdogchristy90

Here at the POW museum we have some playing cards on display that had hidden escape maps sandwiched between them. MIS-X would sandwich maps between playing cards created by US playing cards in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Has anyone seen any of these in the wild?

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tdogchristy90

They look like a normal set of playing cards. The one we have in the museum is blue with the traditional scroll work on the back. It's only when you dip them in water can you peal them apart to reveal a map.

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Who would actually know they have one? These were meant to pass a lot of censors. Even if after war service members brought some home as souvenirs, unless they told someone what it was a single playing card or several would probably had been thrown out cleaning out their estate. Pretty cool though.

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If I remember correctly, the escape Monopoly sets had a silk map hidden inside the pieces of the Monopoly sets that had a "dot" on the "Free Parking" space. Maybe there is a specific card or something in the deck with that kind of thing. Just a thought.



Jon B.


Newaygo MI

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have never seen a set of these cards. I have one of the commemorative uncut sheets handed out at a Stalag Luft 3 reunion.

 

My guess is these cards, when discovered, were handed over to the escape committees in each camp,

 

Kurt

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