In the summer of 1944, the world became aware of the Holocaust thanks to two young men: Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler.

The National Bank of Slovakia honors them with a .900 fine silver €10 coin, produced by the Kremnica Mint.

The coin was released on April 17, four days before the anniversary of the day in 1944 when the two fleeing prisoners crossed the border into Slovakia two weeks after breaking out of Auschwitz.

Vrba worked as registrar (Blockschreiber) in the camp. From his workplace he could see the so-called “Jewish ramp” where all the trains arrived.

He diligently memorized the exact number of carriages that transported all those to Auschwitz who were murdered in the gas chambers between April 1942 and April 1944.

He planned his escape together with Alfréd Wetzler. It was an indescribably dangerous plan, and they were helped by fellow prisoners and Polish citizens. The report was finished April 27, 1944, and soon the world began learning of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Artist Ivan Rehák designed the coin, which is available in Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof versions.

The design was inspired by the coded triangles used to identify types of prisoners in the concentration camps. 

The obverse, with the Slovak coat of arms in the left field, shows a cluster of triangles, separated by a sharp line. A lost teddy bear symbolizes all the children whose lives ended in Auschwitz.

A stylized train comes from the lower edge, bringing people to Auschwitz until Vrba and Wetzler’s report helped end such tragedy. The men are represented by their two prisoner numbers.

The reverse depicts the triangular motif as well and shows two naked men who escaped with nothing but their knowledge of the horrific events. The right shows the year of their escape and their names: ALFRÉD WETZLER and RUDOLF VRBA.

The edge inscription translates to: “Nothing overcomes the courage to confront evil.”

The coins weigh 18 grams and measure 34 millimeters in diameter.

The BU coin has a mintage of 5,800 pieces and the Proof version is limited to 13,500 pieces. Pricing was unavailable at press time.

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