ephemera

WWII Jewish Concentration Camp Money

This rare currency was issued for use in 1943 by the Nazis to give the impression of normality to International inspectors reviewing the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, according the eBay seller offering these banknotes.

There are seven banknotes, a complete set according to the listing (from 1 to 100 Krone). These were used in the Theresienstadt ghetto, which was operated as a town set up by the Nazis.

According to a Wikipedia entry, Theresienstadt was originally designated to be seen to house privileged Jews from Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. Many educated Jews were inmates of Theresienstadt, and the camp was publicized by the Nazis for its rich cultural life, but, of course, this was simply a masque to conceal the horror of the place. At least four concert orchestras were forced to operate in the camp, as well as chamber groups and jazz ensembles. Several stage performances were produced and attended by camp inmates compelled to do so in order that an acceptable face of the holocaust could be presented to the world. Some prominent artists from Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Germany were imprisoned there.

U.S. Parade Flag 19th c. - Only 38 Stars

This 19^th century United States flag came from Chautauqua Institution, which is a historical village established in 1874 in Chautauqua County, New York, according to the seller listing it on eBay.

The seller adds, "…every summer the grounds has a programs promoting the arts, religion, and recreation. When one building was being restored, I was able to acquire the early parade flags that were stored in the building. Chautauqua has parades during the major holidays in the summer. This flag has 38 stars…is made of glazed gauze fabric."

 

Fireman’s Ball 1869 Dance Program

This rare, original 1869 dance program was printed for a dance given by the Citizen Hook & Ladder Co. No. 2 of Buffalo, NY. It's now up for grabs on eBay.

The striking image is of a vivid red eagle perched on a metallic gold bell. Printed by Sage Sons & Co., also of Buffalo. The dance program itself is on the reverse of this 3" x 4 3/8"card.

Judaica Archive Ben-Gurion & Beitar – Zionists Congress Documents 1930s

An eBay seller is offering a rare lot of hand-written documents (in Hebrew) from an archive dealing with political problems in Palestine during the British Mandate in the 1930s.

According to the seller, some of these articles were published in the Hebrew magazines, while were not.

The Archive deals with the following historic events and issues:

• Establishing a new Idealistic Group to obtain their patriotic purposes, called "Ha'She'vet".
• Articles from 1934 criticizing the 18th Zionist Congress (1933) ignoring the situation of Jews in Germany due to victory of Hitler and his Nazi party.
• Articles dealing with the Beitar movement being the liberation movement.
• Article dealing with "Ha'poel" and "Maccabi" sport unions and their relations to the Arabs.
• An article criticizing Usishkin speech.
• Article dealing with Metula establishment.
• Articles dealing with Arabs and their Massacre of Jews.
• An open letter to the British Mandat governer.
• Two later (1943) letters/articles dealing with the problem of recruit and evasion to the Jewish "Army".
• Letters/articles concerning actual problems in Palestine un connection with inner struggles and those with the British rule and Arab neighbours/

JFK Assassination White House Print Christmas Gift

According to an eBay seller, President Kennedy had intended to give this print as an official presidential gift to his close friends and White House staff at Christmas 1963. As everyone knows, JFK was tragically assassinated in November of 1963. After the assassination, some of these prints were given to White House staff and close Kennedy family friends, while others were destroyed. A few examples of this print turn up on the market from time to time and have sold upwards of $2,500, again, according to the seller.

 

Controversial William Woodruff Broadside - Declaration of Independence

An eBay seller is offering a William Woodruff broadside printing of The Declaration of Independence that has a whiff of controversy surrounding its production, as you'll see. The seller's describes the broadside as follows: a rare Broadside Printing of The Declaration of Independence, as engraved by William Woodruff, whose name appears at the bottom, published in 1819.

This 24.75" tall x 22" wide Broadside appeared just a few months before a very similar printing was offered by John Binns, who then accused Woodruff of stealing his design and filed a lawsuit against him. A war of words raged in the newspapers at the time, between Binns and Woodruff, over the two printings of the Declaration, creating advertising for their broadsides and generating an increased interest in the Declaration itself.

On Woodruff's broadside, the text of the Declaration appears inside a very ornate circular frame formed by a wreath and seals of the 13 original colonies, topped by portraits of the first three Presidents; Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, several flags, and an American Heraldic Eagle. The signatures are uniformly printed rather than being facsimiles of the actual signatures.

Vintage U.S. Passport

An eBay seller is offering the 1923 U.S. passport of Mr. William H. Gardner. The passport, according to the listing, is complete with sealed photo and signatures from the U.S. Department of State.

Gardner's passport was issued for a journey to the Israel, and there are plenty of visa stamps from several European countries from the same time period.

I know a lot of mixed-media artists that would find this visually stunning item of particular value for use in their work.

Do you collect passports? If so, I'd like to interview you about your collection. Leave a comment here, and I'll be in touch.

Ethiopian Commander’s Badge

It'd be a hoot to pin this badge to my chest and prance around downtown Asheville on the weekends. "I'm an International So and So," I'd tell people who'd naturally inquire.

This badge, offered—where else—on eBay is for the order of Menelik II of Royal Ethiopia. It has a large length of the original and proper ribbon for the Commander's rank, according to the eBay seller's description. And it feature more silk ribbon with the country's national colors of red, gold, and green bordering the Menelik ribbon shade of yellow.

It's quite the thing, no?

Newspaper 1788 - Ratification of U.S. Constitution

Top-Rated eBay seller, Steve Goldman, is offering a complete original newspaper, the Independent Chronicle and Universal Advertiser (Boston, Mass.) dated Feb 14, 1788.

This newspaper contains long detailed reports with the news of the ratification of the new US constitution by the States of Georgia and Mass. The back page has a long and very detailed account of the parade held in Boston to celebrate the Mass. ratification of the U.S. Constitution. It also has a list of nine amendments  to the Constitution that Massachusetts would like to see approved shortly in order to include personal protections and rights for individuals in the Constitution.

Goldman's detailed listing includes the following brief history: the United States Constitution was written in 1787; however, it did not take full effect until it was ratified in 1788, when it replaced the Articles of Confederation. It remains the basic law of the United States Federal government.

Ratification

It was within the power of the old Congress to expedite or block the ratification of the new Constitution. The document that the Philadelphia Convention presented was technically only a revision of the Articles of Confederation. But the last article of the new instrument provided that when ratified by conventions in nine states, it should go into effect among the States so acting.

Then followed an arduous process of ratification of the Constitution by specially constituted conventions. The need for only nine states was a controversial decision at the time, since the Articles of Confederation could only be amended by unanimous vote of all the states. However, the new Constitution was ratified by all thirteen states, with Rhode Island signing on last in May 1790.

Three members of the Convention—Madison, Gorham, and King—were also Members of Congress. They proceeded at once to New York, where Congress was in session, to placate the expected opposition. Aware of their vanishing authority, Congress on September 28, after some debate, unanimously decided to submit the Constitution to the States for action. It made no recommendation for or against adoption.

Two parties soon developed, one in opposition (Antifederalists), and one in support (Federalists), of the Constitution, and the Constitution was debated, criticized, and expounded clause by clause. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, under the name of "Publius," wrote a series of commentaries, now known as the Federalist Papers, in support of the new instrument of government; however, the primary aim of the essays was for ratification in the state of New York, at that time a hotbed of anti-federalism. These commentaries on the Constitution, written during the struggle for ratification, have been frequently cited by the Supreme Court as an authoritative contemporary interpretation of the meaning of its provisions. The closeness and bitterness of the struggle over ratification and the conferring of additional powers on the central government can scarcely be exaggerated. In some states, ratification was effected only after a bitter struggle in the state convention itself. In every state, the federalists proved more united, and only they coordinated action between different states, as the Anti-federalists were localistic and did not attempt to reach out to other states.

Delaware, on December 7, 1787, became the first State to ratify the new Constitution, the vote being unanimous. Pennsylvania ratified on December 12, 1787, by a vote of 46 to 23 (66.67%). New Jersey ratified on December 19, 1787, and Georgia on January 2, 1788, the vote in both was unanimous.

The requirement of ratification by nine states, set by Article Seven of the Constitution, was met when New Hampshire voted to ratify, on June 21, 1788.

In New York, fully two thirds of the convention delegates were at first opposed to the Constitution. Hamilton led the Federalist campaign, including the fast-paced appearance of the Federalist Papers in New York newspapers. An attempt to attach conditions to ratification almost succeeded, but on July 26, 1788, New York ratified, with a recommendation that a bill of rights be appended. The vote was close—yeas 30 (52.6%), nays 27—due largely to Hamilton's forensic abilities and his reaching a few key compromises with moderate anti-Federalists led by Melancton Smith. Opposition to ratification was led by Governor George Clinton.

The Continental Congress—which still functioned at irregular intervals—passed a resolution on September 13, 1788, to put the new Constitution into operation.

In Goldman's listing, he also includes a handy chart with the dates that each state ratified the Constitution.

Battle Hymn Author Howe Signed Image

eBay seller extraordinaire Stuart Lutz is offering a rare photograph signed "Julia Ward Howe Sept 30^th 1910". Howe, an American reformer and author, Howe is best remembered for "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". She helped her husband edit an abolitionist newspaper and after the Civil War, she focused her energies on the suffragette movement and other women's issues.

The photograph of her portrait shows her seated on a chair. This was signed three weeks before her death, according to Lutz. The ink is darker at the start of the autograph and the verso has some mounting remnants. The American Book Prices Current shows only two Howe signed photographs selling at auction.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.