The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Joel Forman.
Cremona displaced persons (DP) camp scrip printed on rectangular, tan-colored cardstock in black ink. Along the top edge is a line of printed Italian text. Below, inside thin dividing lines near the top and bottom edges, is a small square on the left with the denomination printed within; including a line of large text in the center, two lines of smaller black text, and a dotted signature line along the bottom. In the upper right is a preprinted letter with a thin dotted line and a large, black, stamped number above. Stamped in dark blue ink in the upper left is a Star of David, and in the lower right is a circular stamp with interior text. There is slight foxing on the back. front, bottom right, stamped, blue ink : CAMPO CONCENTRAMENTO INTERNATI CIVILI / CREMONA [Civilian Concentration Camp / Cremona]
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overall: Height: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Width: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm)
Scrip, valued at 1 Lire, distributed in Cremona concentration camp in Cremona, Italy. Under German pressure, Italian fascists passed antisemitic legislation in 1938, and later established domestic concentration camps for military and civilian internees. However, the Italian authorities resisted participating in the mass murder and did not permit deportations of Jews from Italy. Although the camps were called Campi Di Concetramento (Concentration Camps) the conditions and treatment of their internees were equivalent to prisoner of war (POW) camps for military and civilians. Prisoners, including Jews, were treated much better than their counterparts in the German camps. Cremona concentration camp was an internment and labor camp that held both POWs and Jewish prisoners. Scrip was issued to Cremona’s prisoners in exchange for outside currency to inhibit escape attempts. The scrip was printed in seven denominations: 0.50, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 Lire. There are two versions of the scrip known today: notes printed on cardstock with a Star of David stamp, and notes printed on paper without a stamp. Expert numismatists disagree on the authenticity of the Star of David stamp version, with one side believing the Star of David stamped scrip was issued to Jewish prisoners in the camp, while the other believes the notes are not genuine. After the war, a Displaced Persons (DP) Camp was established by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in Cremona from 1945-1947. In 1946 an ORT (Obchestvo Remeslenogo Truda, Association for the Promotion of Skilled Trades) vocational school was established in the camp. The camp housed between 1,000 and 1,200 refugees, and was one of the largest centers for DPs in Italy.
Cremona concentration camp scrip, 1 Lire note with a Star of David stamp