Łódź (Litzmannstadt) ghetto scrip, 20 mark coin
Extent and Medium
overall: | Diameter: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm)
Archival History
The coin was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993 by Sheldon Mantelman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Sheldon Mantelman
Scope and Content
20 mark coin issued in the Łódź ghetto in Poland in 1943. Nazi Germany occupied Poland on September 1, 1940; Łódź was renamed Litzmannstadt and annexed to the German Reich. In February, the Germans forcibly relocated the large Jewish population into a sealed ghetto. All currency was confiscated in exchange for Quittungen [receipts] that could be exchanged only in the ghetto. The scrip and tokens were designed by the Judenrat [Jewish Council] and includes traditional Jewish symbols. The Germans closed the ghetto in the summer of 1944 by deporting the residents to concentration camps or killing centers.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Circular, silver colored metal coin, possibly aluminum or magnesium. The obverse has an embossed design with a 6 pointed Star of David, German text, and the year in the center over a circular line interspersed with Stars of David. There is a circle etched around the outer rim. The reverse has an embossed design with the denomination 20 mark in the center crossed by a banner with German text. There is German text engraved in a circle near the depressed rim.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects--Poland.
- Jewish ghettos--Economic aspects--Poland--Łódź.
- Poland--History--Occupation, 1939-1945.
- Jewish councils--Economic aspects--Poland--Łódź.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Economic aspects--Poland--Łódź.
Genre
- Object
- Exchange Media