Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 1 Mark 1940

Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 1 Mark 1940 A One Mark ghetto scrip note, dated May 15, 1940, issued for internal use within the Łódź Ghetto in occupied Poland, which was renamed Litzmannstadt during the German occupation. The ghetto currency had no value outside its boundaries and formed part of the separate monetary system imposed upon its inhabitants. The note bears the printed signature of Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski, head of the Jewish Council in the Łódź Ghetto. Obverse: A green geometric design with a Star of David in the upper-left corner. At the center appears the inscription: "QUITTUNG ÜBER EINE MARK" (Receipt for One Mark) Below appears: "DER ÄLTESTE DER JUDEN IN LITZMANNSTADT" (The Elder of the Jews in Litzmannstadt) At the bottom: "LITZMANNSTADT, DEN 15. MAI 1940" (Litzmannstadt, May 15, 1940) The series, serial number and denomination 1 appear at the right. Reverse: A seven-branched menorah appears at the center, flanked by the numeral 1. A central banner bears the inscription: "EINE MARK" (One Mark) A German warning below states that anyone who falsifies or copies the note, or places counterfeit notes into circulation, will be severely punished. The note bears no visible ink cancellation lines or cancellation punch hole. An important historical artifact and a material record of the financial and administrative system operated within the Łódź Ghetto.