1948 interim travel document
Israel's "first" travel permits for overseas. The document here was most likely printed around April or May of 1948 and was meant to be used as a travel document or together with a passport (British or foreign) for leaving the Mandate during the interim period...
Very early US passport circular – 1808
US diplomatic mission in Spain. A lovely early Americana official State Department related circular. The document was hand written and signed by US senior diplomat to Spain George W. Erving (1769-1850). His posting to Madrid, as Chargי d'Affaires (the ‘ambassador’ was James Bowdoin III), started...
Israel Government Printer 1948 – 1953
Printers of Passports & Travel Documents as well. Israel “inherited” it’s Government Printer (GP) from the terminated British Mandate in 1948. Originally established in an old winery, in what was a German settlement colony called Sharona. The Winery went bankrupt and it turned into a...
German passport paper usage
Post-War use for lottery in 1945. Here is a fine example of post-war paper shortage usage. After the war there was an acute shortage of paper manufacturing, and we can find this in liberated countries throughout Europe and even as far as in China. Many...
Escaping Odessa – 1919 passport
Commandement des Troupes alliées à Odessa – Le Général Commandant. A stunning connection to current events in Europe…a passport issued back in 1919 and used to escape Odessa, a city that was under occupation and ravaged by conflict and unrest…...
The 1938 Anschluss
Very early German visa for Austria. One of the significant pre-war events of Nazi Germany was the occupation of Austria, known as the Anschluss. This act was another signal that peace in Europe would not last and alarm bells rang off in Europe. ...
Moscow 1932 issued German passport
German-Soviet pre-1933 cooperation. Before Adolf Hitler came to power in January of 1933, the Soviet Union and Germany had a rich cooperation that began in the 1920's. After WWI both countries were practically in ruins and devastated economically. T...
“Worlds in Collision” authors’ passport
1947 British Palestine issued passport to Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky. One of the 20th Centuries controversial authors' passport has surfaced recently. Born on May 29th 1895 to a well off Jewish family i...
Theresienstadt Ghetto
Armband, ID & passport. The ghetto was established at the end of 1941 in what was formerly Czechoslovakia, fully occupied since March 15th of 1939...