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Paper token in the value of 1 Mark (Reichsmark), from Auschwitz extermination camp. Issued in August 1944.
Printed on the front of the token is the inscription "Prämienschein über RM 1 / Konzentrationslager Auschwitz".
Such paper tokens were issued in Auschwitz as "bonuses" or work incentives. Zvi Stahl writes in his book "Jewish Ghettos' and Concentration Camps' Money" that "these means of payment, in denominations of 1/2 and 1 Mark, were given only to chosen inmates of Auschwitz and generally to non-Jewish prisoners. There is evidence that… Jewish prisoners were privileged to benefit from these 'valuable' paper tokens as well. […] During conversations with Auschwitz survivors, to my surprise, I discovered that most inmates never laid their eyes on such tokens. They were surprised to hear that such means of payment even existed". Stahl also mentions that in the book "Man's Search for Meaning", Viktor Frankl tells of a 1 Mark token that he received in the Auschwitz Extermination Camp and notes that such tokens could be exchanged for a dozen cigarettes and the dozen cigarettes could be exchanged for a dozen portions of soup. These tokens are very rare. [See: Zvi Stahl, Jewish Ghettos' and Concentration Camps' Money (1933-1945), London-Holon 1990, pp. 52-56].
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Approx. 7.5X5.5 cm. Condition: VG-. Stains, minor creases and blemishes. The token is torn lengthwise and repaired with adhesive tape on the back.
Provenance: Morton Leventhal Collection, New York.