NumismaTalks Live Webinar

A Great Tale of Discovery: Money from the Woman’s Internment Camp at Rushen on the Isle of Man

July 10, 2025, 12pm MT

When war erupted between Germany and the United Kingdom in September 1939, Britain faced uncertainty over thousands of “enemy aliens,” many of whom were Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution. Heightened fears, fueled by spy hysteria in tabloids, led to the British government’s internment of these immigrants, primarily on the Isle of Man (IOM). While numismatic collectibles from men’s internment camps on the IOM—such as Onchan, Metropole, Palace, Sefton, and Peveril—are well documented, the story of currency from the women and children’s camp at Rushen remains particularly intriguing and previously undocumented. This presentation explores the compelling history behind these unique tokens, originally crafted from cereal box cardboard by interned women, and includes rare artifacts such as original train tickets used for travel across the island.

Ray and Steve Feller are distinguished numismatic researchers specializing in civilian camp money from World War II. Ray, Associate Dean and Director of Student Support Services at MIT, began her numismatic journey in childhood through adventures with her father, Steve, eventually authoring the quarterly column “Rachel Notes” for the International Bank Note Society Journal from elementary through graduate school. Her undergraduate thesis and doctoral dissertation further explored the psychological benefits of collecting and WWII camp money. Steve has been a physics professor at Coe College for over 46 years, a prolific numismatic author with more than 170 articles, and served 17 years as editor of the International Bank Note Society Journal. Together, they wrote the award-winning book Silent Witnesses: Civilian Camp Money of World War II, regularly present at numismatic events, and coordinate the educational programming for MPC Fest. Their recent research on American internment camp currency earned them two Newman Portal Awards.