Notgeld - Information about antisemitic..

I am looking into notgeld with Antisemitic text or pictire. Like the one attached.

I have a nice collection of them, but I would like to understand them better.

What is the message of the attached notgeld?

Is there any book that can help me?

Thx.

 

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David,welcome aboard.That is the first time I have seen a Notgeld note with a Swastika on it,even though it isn't placed on an angle.

One of the German members will be along to translate the inscription.

Aidan.

 

1923 is fairly early in the history of the Nazi party -- it was only officially founded in 1920. the note was apparently issued by a merchant of some sort by the name of heinrich from the northwest of germany, so perhaps his political leanings are on display here (as opposed to those of a whole town or municipality). it is possible, though, that the swastika wasn't being used as a fascist symbol. there are records of the swastika being used in 19th and early 20th century germany in non-fascist contexts, but i'm no expert on the matter. i just wouldn't automatically assume that swastika = nazi at this early date.

the poem seems to be set in a wood, with a deer with glowing eyes -- or is it a maiden? my german is terrible, but there's nothing obviously anti-semetic.

who speaks echte deutsch around these parts?

 

Vercingetorix,if you look at the alignment of that particular Swastika,you will see that it is actually used in the correct way - as an ancient good luck symbol.There's a section about the Swastika in another section,but you have to type the word 'Swastika' into the forum's search function at the top of the main page.

If there is any reference to Judaism,then the key word in German to look for is the word 'Juden'.

Aidan.

 

And that is precisely how the swastika was used on that notgeld note. As you know, that symbol was not invented by the nazis but is much much older.

Christian

 

The Nazis were a pack of nutcases that hijacked from both the Nordic cultures,& the Far Eastern cultures to create their degenerate myths & propoganda.The biggest mistake,culturally,that the Nazis ever did,apart from promoting their hatred of of the Jews & the Jewish culture,was to hijack the Swastika.

The Swastika has been used numismatically as a good luck symbol since 1945 - on an Indian commemorative 5 Rupees coin.

Aidan.

 

Well, the poem on that note is pretty bad in my opinion but, as Vercingetorix wrote, has nothing to do with nazis or antisemitism. Here is a (rough on-the-fly) translation:

High above there are the cliffs
so ernest and gray and old,
At the slope, bushes and (Haide?),
around there is the verdant forest.

And in the middle of florishing wilderness
encircled by the red-brown heath,
(now continue on the right)
a fawn - or is it a maid?
I have seen her often,
And thought I knew her.
The cliffs and all their beauty, -
so beautiful I have never seeen them.

The "Ambergau" is a small region around Bockenem, today in the state of Lower Saxony. That "Heinr." is the first name of the printer; cannot read the last name ...

Christian

 

Christian,I am amazed that you manage to translate these notes' inscriptions.I wonder how you manage to get over the dialectal barrier,considering that the Bavarians have their own language in addition to German.

Aidan.

 

What today is "Standard German" is, more or less, a mix of various dialects and regional languages. If some Bavarians, preferably from the same region, talk to each other, I would probably not understand very much. But that applies to German speakers from some other regions as well. Legally speaking there are five officially recognized regional languages in Germany. Bavarian is not among them but is usually considered a dialect or group of dialects.

Christian

 

Christian,are there Notgeld notes that are inscribed in any of the German regional languages? I will have to look out for them in my boss's stock,as we will eventually sell some Notgeld online.

Aidan.

 

There are quite a few. Since most Notgeld notes were local issues, the local dialect/language is sometimes used for mottos and such. The "legalese" (value, issuing city, valid thru, etc.) will usually still be in Standard German though.

Here is a nice series from Münster (NW), with a "Wiedertäufer" theme. In the 16th century these anabaptists were quite influential in the city, and their leader called himself King of Münster.

http://images19.fotki.com/v276/photos/6/637053/3067863/sterGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteA-vi.jpg
http://images15.fotki.com/v263/photos/6/637053/3067863/rGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteArev-vi.jpg

http://images15.fotki.com/v269/photos/6/637053/3067863/sterGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteB-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v267/photos/6/637053/3067863/rGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteBrev-vi.jpg

http://images18.fotki.com/v266/photos/6/637053/3067863/sterGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteC-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v273/photos/6/637053/3067863/rGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteCrev-vi.jpg

http://images15.fotki.com/v261/photos/6/637053/3067863/sterGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteD-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v266/photos/6/637053/3067863/rGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteDrev-vi.jpg

http://images16.fotki.com/v273/photos/6/637053/3067863/sterGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteE-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v266/photos/6/637053/3067863/rGermany2Marks1Aug1921NoteErev-vi.jpg

Here is a note from Bad Doberan, MV:
http://www.banknotebank.com/coin_view_enlarge.aspx?id=899780

... and one from Ahaus, NW:
http://images14.fotki.com/v255/photos/6/637053/3067863/25Pfennig7Jun1921StadtAhaus-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v255/photos/6/637053/3067863/25Pfennig7Jun1921StadtAhausrev-vi.jpg

One from Itzehoe, SH:
http://www.banknotebank.com/coin_view_enlarge.aspx?id=897757

And finally one from Lübeck, SH:
http://images15.fotki.com/v268/photos/6/637053/3067863/50pfennigLubeck-vi.jpg
http://images15.fotki.com/v263/photos/6/637053/3067863/50pfennigLubeckrev-vi.jpg

The dialects on these notes are varieties of Low German. (Guess that on some Austrian or Bavarian notgeld issues the local dialects are used too but I have no examples at hand.) Please note that these are not my notes, and not my images either. I don't collect notgeld but find such notes and coins interesting ...

Christian

 

Christian,those Munster notes are ones with very nice designs - executions.

The local dialect looks like it is derived from both Dutch & Flemish.

There's a lot of very odd denominations in the Notgeld series - 45,75,80,& 90 Pfennig are the most commonly seen ones of these.

I have a Helgoland 50 Pfennig dated 1919 that I am going to be offloading.I bought it a few years back,because of its British connection.In English,Helgoland is better known as Heligoland.

Aidan.

 

The Swastika is antisemitic!

Thank's for all replays.

Here is another note from the same seria. The text is this time very clear and antisemitic:

http://62.219.50.65/dd/pic/scan0091.jpg


Another example:
http://62.219.50.65/dd/pic/scan0084.jpg
http://62.219.50.65/dd/pic/scan0081.jpg

The Swastika was alrady the symbol for hate of jews.

 

Hmm, Flemish is not actually a separate language but rather the Dutch spoken by (mostly) the Flemish population in Belgium. And yes, the "Platt" from Münster has quite a few things in common with Dutch. Until the 19c the differences between what "ordinary" people spoke in, say, Nijmegen and Kleve, or Maastricht and Aachen, were not that big, despite (Standard) Dutch and (Standard) German being two different languages. But then schools, and later the mass media, promoted the use of the "official" language ...

I understand Standard German of course , and that "Platt" to some extent, so I can read most of the texts on such notes. But - not being a notgeld expert - I cannot tell whether a series like this "bloody" one from Münster was actually used in circulation, or rather issued as fundraisers or souvenirs.

Christian

 

David,the Swastika was hijacked by the National Socialist German Workers' Party in 1920,which was established by Anton Drexler.

That is the first time I have seen a piece of Austrian Notgeld with an anti-Jewish theme.

Here's 3 links that will interest you; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Drexler ,& http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Party .

Aidan.

 

That second one from Bockenem is obviously antisemitic, yes. "Instead of the king's power, Jewish gold rules / Art is fine, as a hireling of Jews the noble must bow. // The Jew impertinent, the German pale, / Break apart, you beautiful German Empire / Into pieces!"
Interesting by the way that this was not issued by a city or county but by the printer. At the bottom it says that this can be cashed "with me", ie. at the store, until the end of 1923.

The second example is from an Austrian anti-semitic organization. Not notgeld but a donation receipt.

Sure, even before there was a nazi party in Germany or Austria, that symbol was used in that sense. It's just that the very first example you showed had nothing antisemitic, and the swastika by itself did not necessarily have that meaning. Before 1900 it had a positive connotation, but then, particularly after WW1 it was often used by people who claimed that Germany lost due to the "enemy in the own country". And for them, the Jews were part of this inner enemy.

The "Hitler movement" adopted the swastika in 1920. So that Bockenem printer was probably an early nazi and actually used the symbol in that nazi and antisemitic sense. Elsewhere in Europe, however, the swastika remained in use, usually until WW2 - and even today it is part of the standard (flag) of the Finnish president, for example ...

Christian

 

Errm, make that "Art is his". The fourth line on the left says "Die Kunst ist sein", not "... fein". The f and the long s look quite similar in that font, but "sein" makes more sense to me: The designer probably wanted to express that the arts were dominated by Jews.

Christian

 

a somewhat irrelevant point: I also collect war letters, diaries, and photos. I have an original negative of what is allegedly julius streicher being escorted into custody by some agents. julius steicher was a naz a- h- who ran a newspaper. not technically a war criminal, his crime was mainly being the instigator of propaganda encouraging the ethnic genocide. he was a miserable bas--- to the end, pledging his allegiance to hitler even as they executed him.

 

Was surprised to stumble upon this thread when I was searching Google for info about few notgeld notes. I am a collector of Jews/Judaism related numismatics and there are plenty of anti-semitic notgeld notes.

Here are 2 from my collection, would appreciate the translation from German speaking members, hope Christian is still around.

Jew holding a baby that is defecating on someone (German?) walking on the street. Other side shows Jew chained to some pillar.


Jew is begging? Or selling a pot? Not sure.



Would appreciate text translation. If there is interest, will be glad to show more notgeld notes from my collection on this topic.

 

These two are, in my opinion, "mildly antisemitic" - what I mean is, they do use stereotypes, but the two notes are less aggressive or offensive than the private issues depicted in the first couple of posts here. I just noticed that both of your notes are described (but not depicted) in the Bildindex database:

See here: http://www.bildindex.de/obj20430055.html

The text (in Low German) roughly means: We do not have a "best room" (ie. WC), that is why the little one does it out of the window. Unfortunately at that moment, a member of the city council came by and got hit - which is why I got the Kaak (Low German word, some kind of pillory, C.) punishment. Seems that actually happened in Brakel in 1655 ...

See here: http://www.bildindex.de/obj20430049.html
(scroll down to "Im Herbste kam ein Handelsmann")

This is standard German, and says: In the fall, a salesman came and offered his merchandise. He had some pots with him, of every shape, also night potties. The woman says, that is way too big for that purpose - but the salesman ("David"!, C.) replies, it is the right size, after all, the nights are getting longer.

Not a word by word translation but you get the idea. In the first case, the scene would have an amusing effect even without the father being Jewish. And the second one, well, that traveling salesman could have been a gypsy (still a stereotype) or, at least in theory, some other man for the scene to "work".

But yes, as the issuers depicted people with recognizable Jewish attributes, these notes can be considered to be antisemitic. Bildindex does that too, by the way - if you click on "Ikonographie (Iconclass)", an info box will open with keywords such as racial hatred, antisemitism, and Ashkenazim ...

Christian