2025 ROCKWELL LECTURE: DR. DAVID LEONG

We are pleased to announce that this year's speaker is Dr. David Leong who will be giving a talk on “Operations Andreas & Bernhard". This fast-moving talk is designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in either banknotes, WWII, military history, counterfeiting, the forced labor of Jewish concentration camp prisoners to produce counterfeits for the Reich, or the production of banknotes. Designed to appeal to Individuals with no knowledge of the history of the Germany counterfeiting operations during WWII, to individuals that know the basic history though those well versed in the history and the banknotes.

The talk will start with the Germans first attempt to counterfeit British Pound notes under Operation Andreas. Before moving to the more famous Operation Bernhard, which was the basis for the 2007 Oscar winning movie The Counterfeiters. While those familiar with Operation Bernhard know of the printing operation at Sachsenhausen, most know nothing of the paper used to produce the notes. Details on the printing operations along with paper production will be provided along with basic diagnostics to determine Operation Bernhard notes from genuine British notes.

The presentation will include new information not previously known from documents provided by the Sachsenhausen, Hahnemühle, and research performed by the speaker on the manufacturing of the Bernhard notes and the search for Operation Andreas notes.

Several copies of the book Forging Secrets: Faces and Facts Inside the Nazi Operation Bernhard will be available for purchase. If you would like to reserve a copy, please contact the speaker before the talk.

Dr. David Leong, like most, started collecting as a child with interest in Lincoln and Indian Head cents which took a hiatus during college. While traveling internationally in the 1990's, his interest in numismatics was rekindled along with a switch to banknotes due to their intricate and colorful designs. In 1999, David became a part-time dealer in world paper money which continues today. Attending major shows such as Maastricht, ANA, and FUN. David is the long-time president of the Currency Club of New England. Other organizational affiliations include The International Banknote Society (IBNS), ANA, and FUN. In addition, David is current Governor of the Professional Currency Dealer Association (PCDA). While there has always been a general interest in Operation Bernhard notes, David started researching it in depth more than 10 years ago. With each new piece of information learned, the drive to learn more continued.

Please join us at the New Light Korean Church 730 Main St (Rt.20) Waltham for an informative and enjoyable evening. The program will commence at 7:30 pm, the building will be open to socialize at 6:30 pm. In addition to the church, there should be sufficient on-street parking and across the street at the Waltham Library (after 6 PM). For further information please contact William Harkins at williamharkins@comcast.net.

John adds:

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web