1940 (28 Nov) Third Reich, Germany, Censored Illustrated Folded Letter from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Censorship Postmark, Belonged to the Jim Taff Collection, More Details in Description

This historical document is a censored prisoner letter from the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, written on November 28, 1940.

The author, a Czech prisoner named Jiří Matějka, was registered under inmate number 4973 in Block 53/B. Writing to his mother and sister, he used the German language to comply with camp regulations. In the letter, Matějka confirmed receiving a money transfer from home and expressed joy over their previous correspondence. He asked his family to send him an illustrated postcard of his hometown and, crucially for his daily life, urgently requested his eyeglasses.

The stationery itself highlights the oppressive reality of the camp bureaucracy. It features pre-printed official camp regulations in red ink, which strictly limited inmates to sending and receiving only two letters or cards per month. A vertical warning along the margins states "Nur die Seiten beschreiben!" to strictly control the length of the message. The document also bears a circular censorship stamp from the SS post office with the letter "E", proving the letter was inspected and cleared by an SS guard before mailing. To disguise the harsh conditions of the camp from the outside world, the front page includes a standardized, idyllic drawing of a peaceful nature landscape with a river and trees.

the artifact belonged to the "Jim Taff Collection". Jim Taff was a well-known postal history dealer from Sacramento.

Provenance: Ex Werbizky.