The Operation Bernhard Banknote – is this the most unique piece of WWII history?

Operation Bernhard was the largest counterfeiting operation in history. It was a secret Nazi plot to destabilise the British economy, in which the Germans planned to flood Europe with counterfeit notes to cause artificial inflation of the British pound.

Unsurprisingly Operation Bernhard, as it was known, is remembered as one of wartime’s most over-the-top secret plots.

Please read on to learn more about this remarkable story, and how you can be one of the few collectors to secure this surviving piece of wartime history.

The Operation

In 1942, production of counterfeit British ‘White Fivers’ began behind the gates of Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Prisoners worked to perfect the process, and by 1945 it is estimated that 70,000,000 notes were printed by inmates.

But as WWII drew closer to its end and the Nazis reached the closing months of the operation, they became concerned that their fakes notes would be exposed during trials for the war crime of counterfeiting.

In an attempt to hide the evidence, the completed notes and printing equipment were sent to Austria where they were sunk into the deepest part of Lake Toplitz.

The Recovery

In 1959, the German newsmagazine “Der Stern” financed a recovery operation to retrieve the surviving banknotes. But due to the depth of the lake, only marginal quantities were recovered.

Now, 75 years after the operation began – the notes are again in the light of day.

Your chance to secure one for a deposit of £34.50 (+p&p)

There are few WWII stories as remarkable as the one of Operation Berhnard.

And in this once-in-a-lifetime Westminster first, we are offering just 50 collectors the chance to own a genuine ‘Paper Money Guarantee’ (PMG) certified ‘Operation Bernhard’ banknote recovered from the depths of Lake Toplitz.

The last time we had 50 available, they sold-out in hours.

Don’t miss out! Click here to secure your Operation Bernhard banknote >>