Article about: by TIGER88 Interesting, thanks Dan. These would have been used to keep track of tools in the various workshops. KZ Klooga had cement works and woodworks, so one would expect that plenty of t
SS money tokens, or camp scrip, are among the more interesting areas of everyday life within the concentration camp system, with a whole variety of examples of premium coupons circulated at the many camps during the Third Reich era. From the beautifully produced Theresienstadt notes, which rival any regular currency for quality and detail, to the crude theatre ticket types used at KZ-Holleischen, the variations are many.
Below is an excerpt from a May 1943 SS document regarding the "regulations for granting special privileges to prisoners"...
"Prisoners who distinguish themselves through their hard work, conscientiousness, good conduct and exceptional performance shall receive privileges. These consist of the following...
SS leadership ordered special bonuses to increase the productivity of concentration camp prisoners. Prisoners were to receive premium coupons for outstanding work productivity. These could then be exchanged for additional food, tobacco, or a visit to the camp brothel. Often, the coupons were distributed at random. Jews however, were strictly prohibited from receiving these coupons.
Following the introduction of the premium system, the SS ordered the establishment of brothels in all concentration camps. In July 1943, female prisoners from the Ravensbrück concentration camp were forced to work as prostitutes at KL-Flossenbürg. Below is an example of a scarce Waffen-SS stamped 1944 pattern 1RM premium coupon from Flossenbürg. The format was introduced in 1944 at six other camps, namely KZ-Auschwitz, KZ-Gross-Rosen, KZ-Mauthausen, KZ-Natzweiler (only one known example), KZ-Neuengamme and KZ-Ravensbrück.
Wow - that is ironic that the SS could imprison someone for "bad behaviour" as an undesirable or 'threat' to the state but then reward them for "good behaviour" ........ twisted!!
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Thank you for your kind comments gents, I am glad that you find it interesting. Mentioned above are the "theatre ticket" scrip from KZ-Holleischen, one of the sub camps of KZ-Flossenbürg. Below are some examples of these premium coupons. The denominations were innexplicably chosen, with no less than seventeen used. As one can see from the images attached, the crude card tokens were mostly found in mint condition. The "MWH" stands for MetalWerkeHolleischen, the nearby munitions plant that still stands today where the prisoners who were issued the tokens worked.
A few examples of the notes that were circulated at Theresienstadt. Seven denominations were produced, namely the 1Krone, 2Kronen, 5Kronen, 10Kronen, 20Kronen, 50Kronen and 100Kronen. The latter three were all watermarked, and the quantities ranged from around a million pieces (the 1Krone), down to around ten percent of that figure for the rarer 50 and 100Kronen examples. Arguably the most beautiful of all notes produced during the Third Reich era, the Theresienstadt notes were designed by a Jewish prisoner and went to print following SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich's intervention demanding certain alterations be made, details of which are to be found in the "Heydrich and the banknotes" thread here in the paper items forum.
Interesting, thanks Dan. These would have been used to keep track of tools in the various workshops. KZ Klooga had cement works and woodworks, so one would expect that plenty of these would have been found after the camp was abandoned. Almost every prisoner was slaughtered during the last days of the camp, with only a few score who managed to hide themselves away surviving the ordeal.
SS KZ Premium Coupon System
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In many ways.
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