Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 50 Mark 1940 With Watermark - Punch-Hole Cancelled, Very Rare ...

Holocaust and Camp Banknotes - Poland - Łódź Ghetto - 50 Mark 1940 With Watermark - Punch-Hole Cancelled, Very Rare Variety 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 currency 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 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 date "LITZMANNSTADT, DEN 15. JUNI 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. The cancellation punch is visible to the left of the central design. 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 cancellation punch is also visible on this side. The note was officially invalidated by a circular punch hole intended to remove it 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 were destroyed or lost, making surviving cancelled examples considerably rarer than ordinary issued notes. The note shows circulation wear, including folds, creases, staining and general wear. A rare Holocaust-era artifact and an important material record of the financial and administrative system operated within the Łódź Ghetto.