A question relating to stamped banknotes.

[Julekpl]

Hello, I have a question pertaining to stamped banknotes. I have come across many of these, especially on Ebay, and I was wondering, are they legit? I have purchased a rather in-expensive banknote too, with a stamp which says: "Waffen SS Adolf Hitler Leibhandorte (can't clearly read out the letters for the last word)" and it has the Nazi eagle with swastika in the middle. The note itself is dated 30th of August, 1924. Was this common for nazis to put older banknotes into circulation, with Nazi stamps? Or is this some kind of joke?

here is my banknote....

[Walkwolf]

These are made up with fake stamps to make sales. In this time period, no swastikas
were used on the bank notes or coinage of Germany.

This type of banknote can be purchased at coin shops for about 25 to 50 cents
because of it having been in circulation, with folds and tears present.

( Also, there was no Waffen SS organisation until 1929 )

[Julekpl]

I am guessing mine is fake then....oh well, I got it for around $1

[sitges1990]

Steve is right on the money. Bad pun I know. 1924 was the year that Germany went back to the gold standard and the economy improved tremendously, but they were still printing out billions of these notes. No 1924 notes are going into the stove in this photo, but I'm sure they did by the end of 1929. Saying they made alot of these is a tremendous understatement. Since there is no swas, the fake stamp is simply a way to get more money.

Jay

[sitges1990]

I didn't see your last post Jule. You are 100 percent correct. Hey, it is an authentic bill from a very turbulent time in Germany's history, and all for less than a double cheeseburger.

Jay

[CARL]

Presently, their is a dealer selling these through fleaBay, and making a few bucks from unsuspecting customers. Many variants are being used, including banknotes circulated throughout the Protektorat Bohmen und Mahren and examples from occupied Poland. Basically, he is acquiring genuine banknotes, then likely using one of countless variants of the common, Polish made reproduction ink stamps to dress up an otherwise relatively cheap item. If you are tempted, stay well clear...

Shown below is a genuine stamped banknote, from the Protektorat B.u.M. These were circulated before the second note, also shown below, was produced with the German and Czech languages both present.

Regards,

Carl

[Wagriff]

Rule of thumb....If you see a Nazi stamp with SS runes or a military eagle and swastika, it is Fake. Period. No such notes were ever stamped nor were they ever Needed. Fraudulent Sellers even mark their notes with Gestapo ink stamps now, I see. They are, in a word, rubbish. They've taken a genuine bank note worth, perhaps, a dollar and stamped it with either a real stamp that they've found or else one they simply made up, and have made the $1 valued banknote equal Zero in value.

[StefanM]

The only "stamped" banknotes I have seen from German occupied Poland and these are Polish zloty banknotes over-stamped by various units of the Armia Krajowa (or Home Army) operating in Warsaw. Below is an example I have of such an AK over-stamp issued in Warsaw.






The AK also over-stamped German postage stamps as a propaganda act.

[StefanM]

Attached is a commemorative bank note issued by the Polish government 1986 to remember the Warsaw Uprising 1944. It was "overprinted" in the style of the wartime stamps of the Home Army (AK) in Warsaw.



I knew I had one somewhere

[rmzeyzein]

These are made up with fake stamps to make sales. In this time period, no swastikas
were used on the bank notes or coinage of Germany.

This type of banknote can be purchased at coin shops for about 25 to 50 cents
because of it having been in circulation, with folds and tears present.

( Also, there was no Waffen SS organisation until 1929 )

I agree that the stamps on the notes was not a common practice, if ever during this time period - however, the stamps are not necessarily fake. I happen to have a set of stamps from the various years in which they were used and by several SS and NAZI party organizations and they happen to be authentic. The common thing people are doing, they are getting a hold of these stamps and they are stamping the notes to increase appeal on ebay and other auction sites. Often people see the symbols and the insignia and immediately purchase these notes, merely because of the stamp they see. To say the note or the stamp if "fake" is merely not always true. Often the note is real, but the stamp was put there by someone trying to "increase" the value by defacing the note. As well, I would not jump to say that the stamp is fake either - as I said, I happen to own some of these stamps and they are as real as they get -- the bottom line however as you pointed out, often the years that the stamps were use pre or post-dated the years of the notes and simply were not used for this purpose. These stamps were used to stamp official orders, cancel stamps, indicate a document was received and/or processed by an official and for other miscellaneous documents.