Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 20 Mark 1940 With Watermark - Punch Hole Cancelled, Very Rare ...

Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 20 Mark 1940 With Watermark - Punch Hole Cancelled, Very Rare Variety - PMG 55 About Uncirculated A 20 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 internal currency was valid only within the ghetto and formed part of the economic and administrative system imposed upon its inhabitants. The note bears the printed signature of Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski, head of the Jewish Council in the ghetto. Obverse A green geometric design with a Star of David in the upper section. At the center appears "QUITTUNG ÜBER ZWANZIG MARK" (Receipt for Twenty Mark), with "DER ÄLTESTE DER JUDEN IN LITZMANNSTADT" (The Elder of the Jews in Litzmannstadt) below. The date "LITZMANNSTADT, DEN 15. MAI 1940" appears at the bottom. The denomination 20 appears in two corners, while the orange serial number is placed at the left. Reverse A seven-branched menorah appears in the lower-left section, with a Star of David in the upper right. The inscription "QUITTUNG ÜBER ZWANZIG MARK" (Receipt for Twenty Mark) appears above, while the denomination 20 is shown below. A German warning along the lower edge concerns the counterfeiting, copying or circulation of forged receipts. The cancellation punch is visible near the center. The note was officially invalidated by a circular punch hole, as stated on the PMG label: Punch Hole Cancelled. The cancellation was intended to remove the note from circulation and prevent its reuse, most likely as part of an internal treasury or accounting procedure. 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, making surviving cancelled examples considerably rarer than ordinary issued notes, especially in high grades. The note is graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated. The label also records Pick P0-565c, SB1006c, With Watermark, an orange serial number and the signature of M.C. Rumkowski. The combination of official cancellation, watermark and high state of preservation gives the note particular historical and collecting significance.