Tag Archives: banknotes

Nazi Counterfeit Banknotes

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At our September meeting, unstoppable auctioneer/educator Parry Bragg gave a presentation on Operation Bernhard, the Nazi effort to counterfeit banknotes (samples of which Parry passed around). Based primarily in a concentration camp, the operation leveraged inmate expertise in chemistry (to duplicate linen & ink); cryptanalysis (to crack the Bank of England’s serial number assignment); and forgery (to reproduce design & signatures), to produce banknotes that were virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article…

Nazi forgery £5 banknote

This story was too big for one presentation: Parry promises to complete the tale at our 31 October meeting. But if he doesn’t salute Hallowe’en by appearing in costume, will I be the only one who feels somewhat disappointed?

Project 2013B

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At our June meeting, auctioneer/educator Parry Bragg answered a question posed by one of our members: What is Project 2013B? Back around 2013, pairs of dollar bills with identical serial numbers were created by the Federal Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP). Of course, that is not supposed to happen, so it presents a rare opportunity for an honest citizen to capitalize on a USG mistake.

DETAILS: Series 2013 replacement “star” dollar bills for Federal Reserve Bank “B” (New York City) were affected, being simultaneously printed in Washington D.C. & Fort Worth, Texas. This website gives more details, including the means to register your banknote, in the hopes that its twin comes to light. Good luck!