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Medals handcrafted for Princess Beatrix whilst in hiding
From the Memoirs: A MEDAL FOR PRINCESS BEATRIX For 21 months, our family lived at 185, Galilaestraat, The Hague, all four of us cooped up in one room. We were hidden by trusted friends, whose vigilance postponed the day when we would be caught and sent off to concentration camps, and perhaps even to the gas chambers. In a way, our plight was similar to that of the family of Anne Frank and thousands of others who had no alternative but to stay under cover during the German invasion of Holland which began, without any provocation, on May 10, 1940. All of Holland was stunned by the ruthless acts of…
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The British Museum (London, England)
WWI Medals Donated to British Museum Almost 600 medals were acquired by the British Museum in London, England from M. Frankenhuis over the years in 1919-1921, mostly the product of German artists. George Hill, the Keeper of the British Museum was keen on acquiring these significant medals for the British Museum Collection since it was not possible for them to obtain from the belligerent countries during the first World War 1914 – 1918. However, as a citizen of neutral Netherlands, M. Frankenhuis was able to procure these medals. Although aliens were barred from England in 1919, these medals were “deemed of value to the nation” and in exchange Maurice Frankenhuis…
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The Kadman Museum (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Museum and Exhibit Kadman Numismatic Pavillion click title to view The vast store of World War I numismatic material of the Frankenhuis Collection numbering 1600 medals, medalets, and plaques pertaining to World War I and 500 items of World War II was donated in 1961 to the Kadman Numismatic Pavillion of Eretz Israel Museum, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Three years later, a special exhibit entitled: “Five Years of Nazi Domination as Told by Commemorative Medals” was curated. Kadman Museum WWI Centennial Exhibit click title to view A permanent World War I Centennial exhibit of the Frankenhuis Collection medals of World War I was launched in 2016. Selections from the largest…
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Winston Churchill
No sooner than one week after returning to Holland from concentration camp, Maurice Frankenhuis sent the following letter to Prime Minister Winston Churchill requesting he hand-write a letter and sign with his autograph, to replace the one he previously collected some 25 years prior. 24, Van der Wijckstr. The Hague, 20th July 1945. (Holland) To the Right Honourable Winston Churchill, Prime Minister,London. Sir,The undersigned has been a collector of autographs of all personalities relating to the war 1914/1918 and you were good enough to send me your autograph about 25 years ago. I possess a large collection of autographs of all personalities relating to the war 1914/1918 and during the…
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Exhibit of Hitler Medals
Maurice Frankenhuis collected medallic tributes of Adolf Hitler as important evidence within the scope of the historical narrative. His coin show exhibits of ‘Arch-Enemy No.1’ in the 1960’s drew the attention of onlookers, and he eagerly spent his time and energy speaking about the evils of Nazi Germany and the lessons of the Holocaust, educating people about the dictator who plunged the world into war and orchestrated the systematic extermination of the Jewish people and other minorities. His exhibit banners declared: “One killed is murder – Millions killed is statistics.” ‘This was not War – This was Murder’.
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Interview with Gemmeker at Westerbork
Maurice Frankenhuis spent the post-war years after the liberation researching and documenting the war. In 1948, he obtained permission to go back to the Westerbork camp in the Netherlands, and to interview its Commander, Albert Gemmeker, still being detained in prison prior to sentencing. Frankenhuis published notes from his five-hour interview together with many photographs taken while the camp was operating, and upon his return. It was published in English and Dutch.
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Catalog of World War I Medals
At the age of 25, Maurice Frankenhuis published his Catalog of Medals relative to World War I, describing with photographs the largest private collection in the world which he assembled and then subsequently donated to the British Museum and the Kadman Museum. It was published in English and in Dutch. It is considered to be the most comprehensive reference work of medallic issues related to World War I. Catalog of Medals Relative to the World War 1914 – 1919 by M. Frankenhuis Some of the World War I Medals donated by M. Frankenhuis to the British Museum are found on the museum’s website. World War I Medals referenced in the…
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Published Photographs
Photographs and narratives from the Frankenhuis Collection contributed to The Holocaust, The destruction of European Jewry 1933 – 1945, published in 1968.