Antisemitic copper coin: “Whether Jew or Christian, a scoundrel lends with interest” – created by engraver Friedrich Wilhelm Hörnlein. Germany, 1923.
Obverse: A stereotypical nude Jew seated atop a pile of grain with open hands. Inscription: “OB JUD OB CHRIST – EIN SCHUFT” (“Whether Jew or Christian – a scoundrel”), and below: “DER WUCHERER IST” (“is the usurer”).
Reverse: Inscription: “IN BÖSEN ZEITEN IST OHN ZWEIFEL EIN MENSCH OFT DES ANDERN TEUFEL 1923” – “In bad times, without a doubt, a man is often the devil to his fellow.” Dated 1923.
The phrase “In bad times” refers to the year 1923, when the coin was issued during the severe economic crisis that followed World War I, a period in which Germany suffered from extreme hyperinflation. While the causes of the inflation were complex, as in many moments of crisis in history, antisemites blamed “wealthy Jews” for the country’s economic collapse. The stereotype of the Jew exploiting the weak and growing rich during times of hardship was widespread in postwar Germany. During this period, Germans produced many antisemitic caricatures on banknotes and coins portraying the Jew as the cause of the crisis and calling for the expulsion of Jews from German society.
Diameter: 38 mm. Minor flaws. Good condition.
