Holocaust coinage... dark chapter in history

Yep, I have that one too. Roughly the first half is in Polish; the rest is in English and German (smaller font), with many images on the about 160 pages.

I also have Hans L. Grabowski's "Das Geld des Terrors" which covers the Lagergeld (concentration camp and ghetto money) of the nazi years 1933-45. Same publishing house, about 450 pages. It also covers the Litzmannstadt Getto, but if one is interested in those pieces only (or if you cannot read German), the other one will make more sense.

Christian

 

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I also had never heard of these Jewish Ghetto coins. Another fine example of how we can learn so much history from our coins. Now if only these old coins could speak and tell us of the lives of those people through whose hands they passed...

 

I've never heard of these before. Thanks for teaching us about them.

 

While I find these pieces interesting to look at I do not believe I could own one. I own a Nazi 20 Reichsmark bill because it was a stolen design from a planned Austrian note. But the thing creeps me out even owning it.

 

I just finished Leon Uris' Mila 18, primarily about the Warsaw ghetto. A good but disturbing read. After the ghetto uprising which lasted far longer than either the Germans or the resistance expected, the Germans often burned buildings with Jews inside. The burned-looking tokens, if authentic, could be a macabre witness to that.
Steve,

 

Well yes, because Rossokovsky and Zhukov's forces parked about 20km east of Warsaw while the whole uprising happened, over the whole summer and into the fall when the Poles, Jewish etc were finally vanquished then the Soviet army rolled into Warsaw. The only support the Poles received was from the RAF and to some extent the USAAF who dropped supplies to the resistance forces.

 

Have not read the book by Leon Uris that Stevearino mentioned. But keep in mind that there was the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (which the book seems to be about), and then the 1944 Warsaw Uprising ...

Christian

 

Lodz was probably the only ghetto that issued coins. Paper currencies however exists in other ghettos such as Theresienstadt. Lodz also issued paper currencies as well.auch as this

 

Your coin is a fake from China, available on Aliexpress.
https://pl.aliexpress.com/item/Poland-5-MARK-1943-GETTO-Juden-COPY-FREE-SHIPPING/32392738172.html

 

I do have some Nazi medals taken from prisoners my father in law captured while he was in Europe during WWII . Dad was in Europe towards the end of the war. He fought in the battle of the bulge,then went on to liberate the concentration camps.
To this day at 96 his eye fill up when ever this subject is talked about. He doesn't say much his looks tell it all of the horror he witnessed. I also had at one time two Nazi pistols . Taken also during the end days of the Nazi party. The medals will one day be donated to a museum in his name so no one will ever forget. As yes I concur they also creep me out..... and for the 2 guns they were sold to a collector , and money donated.
After his service in Europe he was placed on a troop ship heading for Japan.....as if witnessing what he had already wasn't enough he was going to invade Japan.
Well we all know the rest of that story.
He then spent 2 years in Kobe Japan as occupation forces.
And yes he and men and women like him of this era are my hero's......

 

Amazing story @Paddy54 .. your father in law is truly a remarkable man.. if only people can be like him to understand the horrors of war, we won't have to see so much conflict up until today..