Buchenwald Standort-Kantine concentration camp scrip, 2 Reichsmark, given to and inscribed by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.875 inches (7.303 cm) | Width: 4.125 inches (10.478 cm)
Archival History
The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by Bernard Feingold.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Bernard Feingold
Scope and Content
2 Reichsmark Buchenwald Kantine coupon given to Bernard Feingold, a US soldier, by a Russian Jewish inmate in exchange for two cigarettes. Feingold inscribed the note with story of its receipt. In early April 1945, as US forces approached Buchenwald concentration camp, the German guards began to evacuate the camp. On April 11, the prisoners revolted and seized control of the camp. Later that day, soldiers from the Sixth Army Armored Division, part of the Third Army, arrived in camp and discovered more than 21,000 starved and ill inmates.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular, light brown paper coupon with a rectangular orange floral background design with scalloped edges with a narrow, blank border printed on the front. German text, the denomination 2, a serial number, and an asterisk are printed in black ink over the floral design. There are 5 lines of handwritten English cursive script on the back.
back, handwritten : a Russian Jew who was a prisoner at Buchenwald for over four years gave me this. This is the money the Germans used to pay the prisoners but they had no place to spend it. I gave him 2 cigarettes for this.
Subjects
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation--Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)--Personal narratives, American.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Concentration camp inmates--Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
Genre
- Exchange Media
- Object