Jewish Ghetto Banknotes - Warsaw

I agree completely.

 

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Here is the same overprint on a note that would make sense for it to be on if it were genuine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1941-POLAND-5-Z...0447387304?pt=Paper_Money&hash=item2c578c82a8

The problem with these stamps is that there is no indication in any of the German, Polish or Camp paper money catalogs that these overstamps were ever used.

It also does not make sense from an historical perspective. While Polish Jews in Warsaw were segregated in the Ghetto, regular commerce was conducted inside the Ghetto and with those outside the Ghetto. Even the post office continued to operate. There was no financial or comercial reason to segregate the money that circulated in the Warsaw Ghetto.

 

I received in the mail today - "Silent Witnesses: Civilian Camp Money of World War ll" by Ray Feller and Steve Feller.

Going to be spending the next few evenings reading this. Looks fascinating!

 

Like another member on here correctly stated, the piece of currency you have are real but the stamps are fantasy pieces added later. BUT, there are certain banknotes out there that do have a dark history to them. The concentration camp Buchenwald had banknotes that were used by prisoners. As far as "ghetto money", there are some notes available that were supposed to be used by Theresienstadt, but from the references I've read in the past it appears that those notes were printed only to fool outsiders into believing that the people living in the ghettos were living normal lives, complete with a currency of their own that they could use to buy whatever they needed (despite the fact the currency had no value).

I have a small collection of banknotes issued by the Nazis, and they include ones from mainland Germany, occupied territories, and Ukraine. One dark item among these is this banknote:



It was issued by the germans to be used in POW camps by prisoners of war. I keep it in my collection, but always have an uneasy feeling handling it.

 

As far as I know, no Nazi-issued currency was stamped. You might see ones with SS stamps, concentration camp stamps, etc. on ebay, but the only "stamps" they had on some of the foreign currency was the seal of the Reichskreditkassen, which issued the foreign notes for occupied countries.

 

Thanks for the information. I have my homework cut out for me.

 

There were German military Behelfszahlungsmittel overstamped on the back with the Wehrmacht eagle in a circle and another stamp in red with a shield with the Greek cross that were used in Greece during the war. This is the only legitimate overstamp that I am aware of.

German notes were overstamped for validation by the local municipalities of Eupen-Malmedy in Belgium after the war.

 

That be true, I guess I should rephrase that "as far as I know, no Nazi-issued currency for civilian use was stamped by the Nazis", local municipalities may have done that.