Election token with a portrait of Hitler acquired by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: | Diameter: 1.125 inches (2.858 cm)
Creator(s)
- Harold B. Goldberg (Subject)
Biographical History
Harold B. Goldberg (1922-2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York to Samuel and Rose Goldberg. Samuel and Rose were born in Russia and immigrated to the United States before the birth of their children. Samuel worked as a presser in a tailor shop. Harold had six siblings and the family spoke Yiddish and English at home. As a young adult Harold worked as a mail carrier and attended City College in New York. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The following day the United States declared war on Japan, and on December 11, Germany declared war on the United States. On October 31, 1942 Harold was drafted into the U.S. military. He entered the army on October 31, 1942 as a private, and received serial number 32613738. He served in Europe until the end of the war. Harold then returned home to New York where he married his wife Rita in 1952. The family lived in New York for the rest of their lives.
Archival History
The token was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by the family of Harold Goldberg.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the family of Harold Goldberg
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Token for a 1929 campaign with a portrait of Hitler and the slogan "Leader through the Emergency," brought back from the war by Harold Goldberg, an American soldier who served in Europe, circa 1945-1946. The Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I (1914-1918) reassigned German boundaries and imposed enormous reparation payments on Germany. The Young Plan of 1929 was an attempt by the former allies to support the German Weimar government by reducing reparation payments. The German Nationalist Party organized a referendum against the Young Plan. They enlisted the support of the Nazi Party, and made Hitler a member of the organizing committee. The referendum failed, but the Nazi Party gained a great deal of favorable publicity and wider mainstream acceptance.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Circular, very worn, lightweight, possibly aluminum, silver colored metal token with an embossed left profile bust of Hitler with German text around the edge. The reverse has the date embossed in the center, with German text around the edge. It has a raised rim, smooth edge, and a large circular hole at the top.
People
- Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945--Pictorial works.
Subjects
- Souvenirs (Keepsakes)--Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Object
- Identifying Artifacts