Lot 267

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Description:

Exceedingly Rare Schutz-Pass Initialed by Swedish Diplomat Raoul Wallenberg to Protect Akos Balint From Wearing the Yellow Star.

Single page document signed Schutz-Pass (a protective pass functioning as a Swedish passport), in Hungarian and German, initialed by Raoul Wallenberg along the bottom left corner with his iconic "R", pen stroke, one page 8.25" x 13.25". Completed in typescript and inclusive of black and white ink stamped photo, the document bears the original ink official stamp of the Royal Swedish Legation. Dated "September 15, 1944". Expected folds and creases, else near fine with usual minor flaws.

The passport was designed by Wallenberg, and printed in blue and yellow (the Swedish national colors), with text in German and Hungarian, stating that the named person will travel for repatriation to Sweden and until departure is under the protection of the Swedish embassy. With the stamped seal (in two places) of the Swedish Embassy in Budapest. It was issued September 15, 1944 and is press numbered at the top with the pass number “67/01”. 

An exceptional document signed by one of the 20th-century’s greatest humanitarians, created in response to efforts to save Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. Jews in Hungary had been subjected to discrimination and anti-Semitic laws. But because of Hungary's alliance with Germany, Hungarian Jews had, until that point, been insulated from the horror experienced by Jews in other parts of Europe. That was to change drastically as Hitler had begun to distrust the Hungarian leader Miklos Horthy and on March 19, 1944, German forces occupied Hungary. In the weeks and months that followed, hundreds of thousands of Jews across Hungary were rounded up, moved into ghettos and forced on to deportation trains. With the help of the Hungarian government, the Nazis deported 440,000 Jews from Hungary in the span of two months with most being sent to the largest and most infamous death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. So in the summer of 1944, Sweden, with US backing, agreed to use its diplomatic mission in Budapest to help Hungary's remaining Jews. Thirty-one-year-old businessman Raoul Wallenberg came from one of Sweden's wealthiest and most important families. He had no diplomatic experience and had studied architecture at university, but his charisma marked him out. Before Wallenberg's arrival, the Swedish embassy in Budapest was already issuing travel documents which functioned as a Swedish passport to Hungarian Jews. The papers had no real authority in law but the Swedes managed to persuade the Hungarian authorities that people holding them were under their protection. When Wallenberg arrived, he decided that the certificates needed to look more official so he redesigned them. He introduced the colors of the Swedish flag, blue and yellow, marked the documents with government stamps and added Swedish crowns. Wallenberg would also initial the document in the lower left corner. These were known as a Schutz-Pass. Armed with such documents, Jews fell under the protection of Sweden, an officially neutral nation. These priceless, lifesaving documents, granting escape from otherwise certain death, were paid for dearly with the life of one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century. “When the Soviet army was closing in on Budapest and the other diplomats left the city, Wallenberg chose to remain there in order to protect "his Jews" in any eventuality which might arise. He went to the Soviet headquarters in Debrecen for that purpose; all trace was lost of him and he was never seen again alive” (Encyclopedia Judaica). Recently at the Kestenbaum auction in NYC, a Schutz-Pass in lesser overall condition and signed/initialed with the Wallenberg "R" sold for $11,000.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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November 11, 2020 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000