Description:

Wallenberg Raoul

Exceedingly rare Schutzbrief (Letter of Protection) signed by Swedish Diplomat Raoul Wallenberg to protect Aschner Pal from wearing the yellow star

 

Schutzbrief (Letter of Protection), in Hungarian, signed by Raoul Wallenberg, one page, front and back, 8.25" x 11.75", completed in typescript and signed on the recto, with ink stamp of the Royal Swedish Legation in Budapest, August 22, 1944. Text and signature clean and fresh, faint fold lines, a few tiny closed tears at edges.

 

Rare original official Schutzbrief (Letter of Protection) signed by Raoul Wallenberg, issued in Budapest, dated August 22, 1944, with the ink stamp of the Royal Swedish Legation, stating in Hungarian that Aschner Pal, was in possession of a Schutzpass (Certificate of Protection) and was exempted from wearing the yellow star. An exceptional document signed by one of the 20th-century’s greatest humanitarians.

 

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg engaged in extraordinary efforts to save Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. His heroic actions began in July 1944, when “the Swedish Foreign Ministry, at the request of Jewish organizations, sent him on a rescue mission to Budapest, as an attaché to the Swedish Embassy. By this time, 476,000 Hungarian Jews had already been deported to extermination camps, and deportation had been ordered for Budapest Jewry. Wallenberg’s chief operation was the distribution of Swedish certificates of protection (‘Wallenberg Passports’ or Schutz-Pass),” along with Schutzbrief (Letters of Protection), and requests of exemption addressed to the Külföldieket Ellenörzö Hatóság (National Central Authority Supervising Foreigners). Armed with such documents, Jews fell under the protection of Sweden, an officially neutral nation. “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 Debrecyn for that purpose; all trace was lost of him and he was never seen again alive” (Encyclopedia Judaica).

 

Mr. Pál Ascher, the member of the Hungarian Davis Cup team and Újpest ice-hockey team, was the son of the wealthy Mr. Lipót Aschner, the MD of Tungsram Rt, the world's greatest bulb factory in the 1930's. Both survived the Holocaust.


These priceless documents, granting escape from otherwise certain death, were paid for dearly with the life of one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century. This exceedingly rare document, signed by Wallenberg, with the date of August 22, 1944, is one of the official Schutzbriefs. This life-saving document, containing the inkstamp of the Royal Swedish Legation in Budapest, states that Aschner Pal had received a Schutzpass, therefore he is considered a Swedish subject and is to be exempted from wearing the yellow star.

 

The lot prior to this offered lot is the Schutz-Pass, initialed by Wallenberg along the bottom left corner,  an impressive legal appearing document inclusive of a black and white photo of Paul Aschner.


WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!
Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

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