STAMPS

(1) 1941-43, General Gouverment - In March 1941 The Third Reich made a decision to “turn this region into a purely German area within 15-20 years.” He also explained that “Where 12 million Poles now live, is to be populated by 4 to 5 million Germans. The Generalgouvernement must become as German as Rhineland.”

(2) (3) 1943, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia - These stamps were issued on 20 April 1943 to celebrate The Third Reich 54th birthday. It features the Führer in Prague Castle, from where he established the protectorate with a proclamation on 16 March 1939. The inscription "Deutsches Reich" (German Empire) first appeared on Protectorate stamps in March 1942.

(4) 1941-44, Germany - As The Third Reich Germany began annexing and invading territories, a debate arose about which name would best define the then expanding German state: ‘Deutsches Reich’ or ‘GrossDeutsches Reich’. It wasn’t until 1944 when the term "GrossDeutsches Reich" began to be used in philately.

(5) 1943, Germany - This stamp is an issue dedicated to get special postmarks. The collector would paste the stamp on an envelope, card or any sheet of paper and the post office was obliged to postmark it with the special postmark they had at the time. It could also be used as a normal 3 pfennig stamp.

(6) 1943, Issued by the General Government of the occupied Polish Region - The stamp depicts the Eagle of the Reich hovering over Krakow, which became the new capital of the region under German occupation. The city had a large Jewish population, who were forced into a walled ghetto before being sent to extermination camps.

(7) 1942, Third Reich - The official stamps of the Third Reich display the symbols in a wreath. By the far the most prominent The Third Reich symbol, the crooked cross was formally adopted by the The Third Reich Party in 1920. Prior to this, it had been used for centuries as a symbol of positivity and balance. The word swast is Sanskrit and can be translated as “all is well”. The Third Reich wrote that it “signified the mission allotted to us - the struggle for the victory of Aryan mankind.”

(8) 1944, Italy - After the armistice in the South and the occupation by the allies, and in order to maintain the constitutional structure of the Kingdom of Italy, a Government was formed, lead by Marshall Bodoglio. The lack of stamps required to restore the postal service forced the government to contract a private company to print a new and simple stamp, which depicted the Lupa Capitolina.

(9) 1944, Italian Social Republic - In 1944 the Italian Social Republic led by Mussolini issued a set of stamps commemorating destroyed monuments. This stamp depicts the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan which was bombed by the Allies in 1943. Despite losing the roof and most of its walls, an interior wall on which Leonardo da Vinci painted "The Last Supper" miraculously remained unscathed.

(10) 1937-1945, Japan. The Japanese stamp depicts General Maresuke Nogi, born into a samurai family in 1849. He was one of the pioneers of the scouting movement in Japan. In the last years of his life, Nogi was honored to be the mentor of the future Emperor Hirohito.

(11) (12) (13) 1940, USA - A complete issue which replaced normal stamps in an effort to raise awareness of the then threat to national security. The image depicts a 90mm anti-aircraft battery and the Statue of Liberty, which in turn helped raise awareness of the need to strengthen national security.

(14) 1942, USA - This stamp belongs to a set issued to commemorate American independence, symbolising the courage of the nation at war and its commitment to victory. The central image is a reproduction of the American eagle with its wings forming a large V, symbolising victory. In the central curved plaque is the inscription "WIN THE WAR".

(15) 1945, USA - This Navy Issue celebrates the achievements of the US Navy in WWII whose contribution was decisive especially in the Pacific Theatre.

(16) 1945, USA - This Army issue of September 1945 depicts the US troops passing Arch of Triumph. Europe had been liberated.

(17) 1945, USA - Issued in August 1945 in honour of Franklin D. Roosevelt - four times President - after his death just before the end of the war. As well as his portrait, and dates of birth and death, the stamp shows his residence ‘The Little White House’ in Warm Springs, Georgia.

(18) 1945, USA - Joe Rosenthal’s photograph on Suribachi Mountain received the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. In July, the US Congress issued a postage stamp with the image and people waited in enormous queues to buy it. American forces remained at Iwo Jima until 1968.

(19) 1937-49, Australia - As part of the British Empire, nearly one million Australians served during the war in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. In February 1942 Japan launched air raids on the Australian mainland, which continued until November 1943. The stamp bears a portrait of King George VI.

(20) 1942-43, Canada - Canada, though part of the British Empire during the war, was a self-governing country with full legal freedom and equal standing. Between 1939 and 1945 over one million Canadian men and women served full-time in the armed services. The country played a vital role in the Battle of the Atlantic and in the skies over Germany. The stamp depicts King George VI.

(21) 1941-48, Great Britain - The stamp depicts King George VI, who refused to follow the advice of his Ministers to evacuate to the safety of the countryside during the Blitz. Instead, he remained in London even after Buckingham Palace was bombed, and became a trusted friend of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The two men met every week to discuss the progress of the war.

(22) 1941, Norway. Ordinary Norwegian use stamps with posthorn or lion were overprinted the letter V by the Germans to make the Norwegian stamps their own. The letter V, for Victoria, was originally part of the German propaganda campaign against Bolshevism.

(23) 1940, Finland. In 1939 Finland sought protection from Germany to defend them from Soviet aggression. However, they never joined the Axis powers, and in 1944 they changed sides and expelled German forces from their country. The stamp was overprinted in August 1940 and depicts the Finnish coat of arms – an upright lion between nine roses holding a silver sword and trampling on a sabre.

(24) 1945, Belgium - Stamps issued in commemoration of Belgian resistance members during World War II. This issue included a Surtax that was for the benefit of prisoners of war, displaced persons, families of victims and members of the Resistance Movement.

(25) 1943-1944, Belgium. Stamp depicts a lion rampant, the Belgian coat of arms, over a "V" for Victory. In September 1944, Belgium was liberated, and the Belgians supplied the Allies with scarce coffee, chocolate, and Coca-Cola. King Leopold III of Belgium was placed under house arrest by the Germans throughout the war.

(26) 1938, Hungary. The stamp was issued after the partition of Czechoslovakia. It depicts St. Stephen and the inscription: "hazateres", which means returning to their homeland.

(27) 1939-1942, Slovakia. The stamp displays displays a portrait of Josef Tiso, a Catholic priest and president of Slovakia from 1939. Under Tiso, the country became a satellite state of the Third Reich, and he ruled as a dictator, declaring that the will of the leader is the law. He collaborated with Germany in the deportation of most of Slovakia's Jewish population to death camps in Poland, and after the war, he was executed for crimes against humanity.

(28) 1945, Czechoslovakia. The post-war stamp, August 1945, is part of the series entitled "Soldiers from the Allied Forces". Prague was liberated by the Red Army on May 9, 1945 (following the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich) even though General Patton's US troops had been stationed in West Bohemia for a month. However, the decisions of Yalta were clear - Prague belonged to Stalin.

(29) 1945, France - This Arch of Triumph series was the only one issued jointly by the allied military government of the USA and Great Britain for civilian use. The republican motto is recovered “Liberté, egalité, fraternité”.

(30) (31) 1945, Germany - After Germany surrendered, the Allies divided the country into four regions to be administered by Great Britain, the USA, France and the Soviet Union respectively. Stamps featuring the letters ‘AM’ (Allied Military) were introduced in the British and American zones to restore a civilian mail service. The Soviet Union issued a stamp with an image of a bear, the symbol of Berlin which fell within their region. Berlin was further subdivided into four zones for each of the Allies to manage.

COINS

(32) 1941-45, Norway - Issued after the German invasion of Norway, the coin was struck in iron as there were plentiful deposits throughout the country. It depicts the emblem of Norway – a lion wearing a crown. The reverse shows the denomination and three stylised roses. There is no royal portrait because King Haakon VII refused to comply with The Third Reich and instead went into exile in Britain, where he inspired Norwegians to resist the German occupation.

(33) 1939-45, Great Britain - The obverse of the bronze penny depicts King George VI, who was also Head of the Commonwealth and Emperor of India.

(34) 1931-41, France - The coin’s obverse depicts Marianne, the national personification of France since the French Revolution. She wears a Phrygian cap decorated with olive and oak leaves and wheat. The reverse shows the denomination surrounded by two cornucopias (horns of plenty) filled with fruit, and the French national motto LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE (Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood).

(35) 1943, USA - With copper in high demand for military equipment, the US Mint produced a cent struck in zinc-coated steel. This made the coins magnetic, which caused them to be rejected by vending machines. After a public outcry, the Mint changed the alloy in 1944 and destroyed large numbers of ‘steelies’.

(36) 1938, Czechoslovakia - The obverse depicts the Czech coat of arms (a crowned lion with two tails) and the Slovak coat of arms (a double-cross on a mountain with three peaks) across its chest. It is inscribed 'REPUBLIC ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ' and the reverse features an image of a factory building. The coin circulated until 1939 in Slovakia and until 1941 in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

(37) 1940-45, Finland - Finland began the war as an unofficial ally of Germany to help resist the Soviet invasion, but later switched sides to join the Allies. The obverse depicts their coat of arms - a crowned lion with a sword in its right paw, standing on a sabre. Unlike pre-war coins, it was struck in copper instead of cupronickel. After the war, Finland had to surrender 10% of its land and pay large war reparations to Stalin.

(38) 1940, Italy - The obverse of the coin features the portrait of Victor Emmanuel III, the King of Italy.

(39) 1937-46, Russia - Coin minted in aluminum-bronze with a very small diameter. Russian coins of this period are very difficult to find and have a high value among collectors.

(40) 1955, Nepal - The Government Mint in Nepal struck this 4 Paisa coin with brass from rifle bullet casings used by their Gurkha army fighting Japan in the Pacific. After the war had ended a General in the Nepalese army found the empty shell cases in Kathmandu and proposed that they be turned into coins to honour the courage of the soldiers who had left them behind.

(41) 1939-41, French Indochina - Minted in France between 1939 and 1941, it was in circulation in French Indochina when the Japanese invaded in 1940.

(42) 1943-45, Malaya - Malaya, a British colony, was attacked by Japan in December 1941. Despite being heavily outnumbered by Commonwealth forces on the Malay Peninsula, the Japanese army forced them to retreat to Singapore, where they surrendered. The obverse features a portrait of King George VI.

(43) 1940-43, Japan - 10 Sen minted in aluminum by Hirohito.

(44) 1936-39, Third Reich - The Reichsmark was introduced into circulation in 1924 to stop hyperinflation. One of the most defining emblems of the Third Reich first appeared on German coins from 1936. The striking image of an eagle holding a wreath with a symbol in its claws was intended to remind German citizens who used the coins every day of the dominant power of the The Third Reich party.

BANKNOTES & BONDS/SHARES

(45) 1942, Burma - Issued for use in Burma, it belongs to what is known as ‘Japanese Invasion Money’ (JIM). As they invaded territories, the Japanese issued this type of currency in Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (Malaysia and Singapore), the Dutch East Indies, Oceania, and the Philippines.

(46) 1942, Third Reich - Distributed by The Third Reich Germany in 1942, this bond was drawn at random each year for repayment with a nominal interest rate of 3.5%. Featuring an embossed The Third Reichi eagle and symbol emblem, this issued year comes from the state of Thuringia. It was originally stored at Reichsbank in Berlin, where it survived World War II and, in 2015, was sold at auction by the German Ministry of Finance.

(47) 1940, USA - Railroads proved vital in World War II as they kept millions of men and tons of material flowing. In 1939, President Roosevelt chose to authorize shipments of supplies to our allies overseas but was unwilling to officially enter the war. This increased railroad freight tonnage, but it wasn’t until the attack on Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941 that the increase in railroad usage increased astronomically. Without their service, victory would have never been possible as the US was producing everything from tanks and planes to ammunition and mortars. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad purchased its newest steam locomotives in the early 1940s just as the war was intensifying. These locomotives empowered them to pull a significant amount of freight with little difficulty over the sharp climbs in terrain along the West Virginia/Maryland border or Sand Patch in Pennsylvania. Transporting these materials would never have happened if it was not for the railroads.

(48) 1944, Philippines Guerrilla - All "Emergency Currency Certificate" was printed by Filipina guerrillas. Using this banknote was a criminal offence, and those caught in possession of it were killed.

(49) 1944, Greece - After being invaded and occupied first by Italy and then by Germany, the Greek economy and infrastructure lay in tatters. This banknote shows the hyperinflation that Greece had suffered by the time she was liberated in October 1944. During the war, many Greeks fought alongside the British in the Middle East, North Africa, and Italy. Almost all of Greece's Jewish community was exterminated.

(50) Japan - Known as the Japanese Military Yen, it was initially issued to pay the salary of Japanese soldiers. From 1938, during the Japanese occupation in parts of China and Hong Kong, the local population was forced to use it as the official currency. After the war it lost all its value. In June 1999, a Japanese court rejected a claim demanding the redemption of Japanese military yens.

(51) 1942, Japan - On 8 December 1942, the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor on the Japanese side of the date line, a 50 sen note with distinct patriotic themes was issued by the government (not the Bank of Japan).

(52) 1940, Shipwreck Salvage, Indian Banknote Paper - In December 1940, German bombers attacked a convoy of British ships off the coast of Scotland. The SS Breda was sunk with a valuable cargo of watermarked banknote paper on route to Bombay. The above paper was retrieved from the wreck and depicts King George VI, the denomination (5 Rupees) and the words "RESERVE BANK OF INDIA" "RESERVE BANK OF INDIA" are also visible.

(53) 1944, Third Reich - The Third Reich paid their Wehrmacht (Defence Force) soldiers in military money. This was used in areas where there were supply restrictions on obtaining local currencies.

(54) 1920, Austria - This Austrian emergency money, issued in 1920, depicts the Austrian town of Weissenkirchen in der Wachau. When Hitler was a young painter, he painted a panorama of the town. His watercolour was later sold at auction in 2009 for 34,000 dollars.

(55) 1940, Bohemia and Moravia - In March 1939, the German The Third Reichcreated the protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia after the military occupation of Czechoslovakia. This banknote is issued in August 1940 and all inscriptions are in German and Czech.

(56) 1942-43, Philippines - After conquering territories in Asia, Japan introduced its own occupation currency. The first banknote bears the inscription, “The Japanese Government" and was officially issued by the occupying country.

(57) Belgian coal ration coupon worth 25 Francs. The rationing of goods was commonplace throughout Europe.