Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 1 Mark 1940 - Ink and Punch Hole Cancelled, Very Rare Variety ...

Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 1 Mark 1940 - Ink and Punch Hole Cancelled, Very Rare Variety - PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated 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. A separate monetary system was introduced within the ghetto and was valid only inside its boundaries. 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 serial number and denomination 1 appear at the right. Red ink cancellation lines and a circular cancellation punch are visible. 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 receipt, or places counterfeit receipts into circulation, will be severely punished. The cancellation punch is also visible on this side. Significance and rarity of the cancellation The note was officially invalidated by two separate methods: red ink cancellation lines and a circular punch hole. The PMG label specifically states: Ink & Punch Hole Cancelled These measures were intended to permanently remove the note from circulation and prevent its reuse, most likely as part of an internal treasury or accounting procedure within the ghetto. Once cancelled, the note no longer had a monetary function and was generally not intended for long-term preservation. Many such notes would have been destroyed or lost. Cancelled survivors are therefore considerably rarer than ordinary uncancelled notes. The present example is especially notable for the high state of preservation of the paper. The note is graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated. The numerical grade refers to the preservation of the note, while the official cancellation is recorded separately on the grading label. This combination of formal cancellation and Choice Uncirculated preservation gives the piece particular historical and collecting importance.