Forgery of English 20 Pound Note: Operation Bernhard

Authors

Object ID

2014.1.321

Object Name

Forgery

Date

6-7-1937

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

White paper with a texturized background. "Bank of England" printed in elaborate font on the top, with a picture of a seated woman. Image is in an emblazoned circle with a crown at the top. Note is for 20 pounds and is dated 1937 June 7, London. There is a signature in the lower right corner for the Chief Cashier.

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Forgery of English 20 pound note with signature of K.O. Peppiatt. The codename Operation Bernhard was based on a plan to destabilize the British economy by flooding the country with counterfeit notes. A counterfeiting team of 142 inmates of the KL Sachsenhausen under the leadership of SS Major Bernard Kruger, after whom the operation was named, was employed for this project.

Dimensions

5 x 8 1/2"

Keywords

Bank of England, pound, Peppiatt, Operation Bernhard, Forgery, Counterfeit

Subcollection

Philatelic

Recommended Citation

"Forgery of English 20 Pound Note: Operation Bernhard" (1937). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2014.1.321.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/579