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The E-Sylum: Volume 19, Number 22, May 29, 2016, Article 32

ANTI-SEMITIC BANKNOTES

An article last week discussed an exhibit at the New-York Historical Society on Anti-Semitism 1919-1939. The article discussed notgeld and other items on exhibit, including anti-semitic banknotes. We were unable to find images of the notes on exhibit, but Herb Friedman writes that images of similar notes can be found on his web page article on anti-Semitic propaganda. Thanks. Here are some selected images and text. -Editor

Notgeld
Anti-Semitic Banknote Amstetten Notgeld During and following the German hyperinflation of 1923, the worthless large-denomination Reichsbank currency was widely overprinted with various anti-Semitic, anti-Communist, anti-capitalist, anti-inflation, Nazi-inspired, and political slogans. In many towns, special notgeld were issued, often with racist or militant propaganda in their design.

Amstetten, Austria issued currency-like receipts for contributions to the Amstetten German-Austrian Association Anti-Semitic Bund. The front shows burning newspapers; the back has various anti-Semitic propaganda messages. One of the propaganda messages on the notes is:

The aversion of the German people for the Semitic people does not have its cause in the difference of religion and dogma, but rather in the differences of blood, race, ancestry, culture and traditions…



Overprints
Anti-Semitic Banknote Jew being shocked and frightened The Austrians and Germans often placed anti-Semitic symbols, caricatures or overprints on their banknotes. I wrote about this in an article entitled “Anti-Semitism on Notgeld” in the International Banknote Society Journal, Vol. 25, No. 3, 1986, and another entitled “Anti-Semitic Overprints on Currency” Vol. 25, No. 4, 1986. Since currency is handed from hand to hand, it is a great media for propaganda. Anyone holding one of these banknotes could read the virulent anti-Semitic propaganda on the front or back.

The leaflet above shows a caricature of a Jew being shocked and frightened by a glowing sun with a swastika at center. The text is:

Hitler – National Socialism

A surprise: God the Righteous! Once again a new coming!
Friends! Come to Hitler and National Socialism.





Anti-Semitic Banknote Karl Radeck Here the Germans attack Karl Radeck. As they so often did, they insinuated that all the Communists were Jews, an interesting concept since the Russians probably killed more Jews before WWII than the Germans did during WWII. There are several different texts, but they all have the same general propaganda:

Soviet Jew Radeck.
Railroad robber and murderer of workers.
The greatest capitalist in Russia. Worker: should this be your leader?
Friends, come to National Socialism. Read the People's Observer of Munich

To read the complete article, see:
ANTISEMITISM AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE THEME (www.psywarrior.com/AntiSemiticWWII.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANTI-SEMITISM EXHIBIT (www.coinbooks.org/E-Sylum_v19n21a35.html)

HERITAGE_40619_1235_E-Sylum-May8May29June5


Wayne Homren, Editor

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The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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