Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 50 Mark 1940 With Watermark

Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 50 Mark 1940 With Watermark A 50 Mark ghetto scrip note, dated June 15, 1940, issued for internal use within the Łódź Ghetto in occupied Poland, which was renamed Litzmannstadt during the German occupation. The local notes served as the authorized means of payment within the ghetto and had no monetary use outside its boundaries. The note bears the printed signature of Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski, head of the Jewish Council in the ghetto. Obverse A geometric design in green and blue. At the center appears "QUITTUNG ÜBER FÜNFZIG MARK" (Receipt for Fifty Mark), with "DER ÄLTESTE DER JUDEN IN LITZMANNSTADT" (The Elder of the Jews in Litzmannstadt) below. The inscription "LITZMANNSTADT, DEN 15. JUNI 1940" (Litzmannstadt, June 15, 1940) appears at the bottom. The denomination 50 appears in the corners, the serial number is printed in red at the upper left, and a small Star of David appears at the right. Reverse The inscription "FÜNFZIG MARK" (Fifty Mark) appears at the center over a circular ornamental design, with "QUITTUNG ÜBER" (Receipt for) above. The denomination 50 appears in the upper corners and lower-right corner. A German warning along the lower edge concerns the counterfeiting, copying or circulation of forged receipts. The note shows considerable circulation wear, including folds, creases, staining, toning, edge wear and minor tears. An important Holocaust-era artifact and a material record of the financial and administrative system imposed upon the inhabitants of the Łódź Ghetto.