Allied Military Authority currency, 50 Pfennig note for use in Germany

Identifier
irn734777
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2016.584.51
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 2.630 inches (6.68 cm) | Width: 3.080 inches (7.823 cm)

Creator(s)

Archival History

The currency was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by Erzsebet Sandor, the step-daughter of Jozsef Barsony.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Erzsebet Sandor

Scope and Content

Allied Military currency (AMC), valued at a 1/2 mark, printed and distributed for use in Germany by the Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories (AMGOT), from September 1944 to June 1948. During and immediately after World War II, the Allied powers worked cooperatively to issue special currency for Allied troops in countries they had liberated or newly occupied. The goal of the joint currency issues was to protect local economies from inflation or weakening of their currency, and to present a united front to countries they were occupying and those they were still fighting. The currency was produced for Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Japan. All of the production was carried out in secret, and the printing effort for each country was given its own code name. The printing of the Allied Military (AM) mark for Germany was known as Operation Wild Dog. The United States did the majority of the printing for the notes used in each country, but the Soviet Union insisted on being allowed to print a portion of the notes for use in Germany. With the ability to print their own notes, the Soviet Union was able to ignore the wishes of the other allies, and issue large numbers of AM marks to Soviet troops. This indiscriminate printing led to inflation issues in occupied Germany. On June 20, 1948, the American, British, and French occupation zones of Germany converted to a new currency, and the Soviets followed suit a few days later.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Allied Military currency for Germany printed on lightweight, square-shaped, cream-colored paper. The face has a rectangular, black ink border with an ornate web design, scrollwork in the corners, and German text in the top center. Within the central rectangle, there is a light blue, leafy underprint overlaid by a black latticework design with a white M in the center. The denomination, 1/2, is indicated in each upper inner corner, just above the type of currency, a mark, along the left and right side, all in green ink. In the lower, inner corners, the green 1/2 is printed at the center of a geometrically-patterned, fan-shaped background with a chain-link border. The black ink serial number is printed in the center, with several lines of green German text above and below. The back has a geometric patterned square printed with burnt orange ink. In the center, there is a circular medallion with an elaborate, central uppercase letter M surrounded by an ornate scrollwork and repeating geometric patterned border.

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.