Period counterfeit Palestinian Currency Board money, 5 Palestine pound note
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm) | Width: 7.500 inches (19.05 cm)
Archival History
The currency was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Ann Apfelbaum.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ann Apfelbaum
Scope and Content
Counterfeit Palestinian Currency Board five Palestine pound note created and used in Palestine and Israel between April 20, 1939 and September 15, 1948, when the legitimate currency was demonetized. This note may have been printed and used by members of Jewish underground organizations like Irgun Tz’va’I Le’umi (Etzel) to aid in their resistance efforts against the Mandatory government in Palestine. The Palestinian Currency Board was established in 1926, several years after the League of Nations formally established Great Britain as the Mandatory authority in Palestine following the end of World War I (1914-1918). The Currency Board adopted the Palestine pound, equivalent to the British pound sterling, as the monetary unit and divided it into 1,000 mils. On November 1, 1927, the Currency Board began circulating Palestinian currency, both paper notes and metal coins, which were printed by Thomas de La Rue & Company, Ltd. In London, England. These all had specific inscriptions and denominations in Arabic, English, and Hebrew text, as well as vignettes depicting sites of historical or religious significance for both Jews and Muslims. Counterfeiters were quick to forge the new currency, and had their own notes circulating within three weeks of the release. The one and five Palestine pound notes were the most frequently counterfeited, but coin forgeries were also common, especially during the world-wide depression of the early 1930s when legitimate, silver-bearing coins were hoarded. Counterfeit currency was also produced during World War II (1939-1945) by German intelligence to pay spies in the region, and by members of the resistance working against the Mandatory government, especially from 1946-1947.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Counterfeit Palestinian currency printed with blurred lines and indistinct details on lightweight, off-white rectangular paper. The face has a large, rectangular printed area with a faded, red border of undulating, crisscrossing lines around a light orange center faintly printed with diagonal lines and a central medallion. A decorative, geometric-patterned medallion in each corner bears the numeric denomination. Within the border, on the left, is a black ink scene depicting the White Tower of Ramlah. To the right are several lines of English, Hebrew, and Arabic text in black ink. On the lower right is a large, circular guilloche, and along the bottom is a wide band of a latticework bearing several signatures. A six-digit serial number is printed in red ink below the tower and above the guilloche. The reverse features a central, circular image of the Tower of David and the Citadel within a scallop-edged medallion decorated with a repeating pattern of crisscrossing, arched lines. The medallion is flanked by laurel leaf branches, and below is English text within a rectangular banner. The center medallion is flanked by decorative elements, each featuring a circular guilloche below a scallop-edged medallion bearing the numeric denomination. The left medallion contains a band of Hebrew text, while the right one contains Arabic. The back is printed in faded red ink, and the spaces between the elements are filled with decorative, geometric patterns. The paper is discolored and worn from use, with several small losses along the edges, and a large tear on the right end. The lower corners are torn, the paper is heavily creased, and there are small holes at the center.
Subjects
- Intelligence service--Germany.
- Counterfeits and counterfeiting.
- Resistance movements--1940-1950.
- Palestine, the British Mandate.
- Jerusalem.
- Palestine.
Genre
- Forgeries.
- Money.
- Object
- Exchange Media