Sold For $11,250
*Includes Buyers Premium
DS in German and Hungarian, signed ?R. Wallenberg,? one page, 8 x 11.5, August 5, 1944. Important "Schutzbrief," or letter of protection, issued by Wallenberg to a Hungarian Jew in order to save his life. In full (translated): "With this letter we certify that Dr. Laszlo Vamberi is under the protection of the Swedish Consulate, in the context of repatriation of Jewish persons from Hungary to travel to Sweden, included in a collective passport. The Royal Swedish Legation requests all relevant authorities to show benevolent consideration for the above circumstance and to allow the holder of this passport to remain in his residence until his departure." A small, passport-style photograph of Vamberi is affixed at the upper right. In good to very good condition, with irregular toning and staining, small edge tears, and separations along the intersecting folds; Wallenberg's signature is unaffected by any of the flaws.
Wallenberg arrived in Hungary in July 1944 as the country's Jewish population was under siege. Nearly every other major Jewish community in Europe had already been decimated, and the Nazis were dispatching more than 10,000 Hungarian Jews to the gas chambers daily. An announcement that any Jew, even those holding foreign citizenship, would be interred led to Wallenberg's urgent plan to save as many lives as he could. With time of the essence, he devised and distributed thousands of 'Schutzbrief' letters of protection and 'Schutz-Pass' passports?official-looking, but essentially invalid, Swedish passports granting the Hungarian bearer immunity from deportation. Nazi officials readily accepted the paperwork. Thus, with this letter, Wallenberg saved the life of Budapest resident Dr. Laszlo Vamberi, whose name is recorded in the Nevek Project's Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database.
Notably, Wallenberg's 'Schutzbrief' protection letters typically boast a more complete, legible version of his signature?as seen on this example?while the 'Schutz-Passes' were signed with a quick scribble.
Additionally includes: a Hungarian document exempting Vamberi from wearing the yellow star badge distinguishing him as a Jew (August 19, 1944); a Hungarian residency permit issued to Vamberi, stamp-dated several times throughout from August to December 1944; and a bilingual Hungarian and Russian certificate describing Vamberi as an indispensable employee of the Swedish embassy (February 23, 1945).
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$250.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
