File:Chief Customs Directorate. NKVT. Library. (31232820452).jpg

NKVT is an acronym referring to the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Trade of the RSFSR and then the USSR. The NKVT of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) was formed in 1920 to regulate the foreign trade of the fledgling state. This was updated to cover the entire territory of the newly-formed USSR in 1922 and thus acquired the name People’s Commissariat of Foreign Trade (NKVT) of the USSR. In November of 1925 the People’s Commissariat of Trade and the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Trade were combined into the People’s Commissariat of Foreign and Domestic Trade. The head of the NKVT during both of its phases (1920-1925) was Leonid Krasin. Krasin died in London of a blood disease in 1926 while trying to negotiate formal recognition of the USSR from the United Kingdom and France.

This book stamp is from a book looted by the Nazis and sorted by Colonel Seymour Pomrenze, one of “the Monuments Men,” at the Offenbach Archival Depot. There are two scrapbooks of archival markings from the books sorted at the Offenbach Depot in the Seymour Pomrenze Collection held by the American Jewish Historical Society (Call number P-933) There is a finding aid for the collection here The digitized scrapbooks are available here and here.

For more information on this project check the Center’s blog: 16thstreet.tumblr.com/tagged/Offenbach-Depot

Dr. Mitch Fraas, Acting Director of the Digital Humanities Forum at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries' Special Collections Center is working on a similar project for the German book stamps based on NARA microfilm of the volumes the American Jewish Historical Society currently holds. See viewshare.org/views/mfraas/offenbach-bookplates/

The Center for Jewish History would like to acknowledge the following: The American Jewish Historical Society, who graciously allowed the use of their archival materials and digital content; Mitch Fraas, Acting Director of the Digital Humanities Forum at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries' Special Collections Center, for his data and technical assistance in this project; David Rosenberg, Reference Services Research Coordinator, and Melanie Meyers, Senior Reference Services Librarian for Special Collections, for managing and creating the digital map; and Reference Services Librarian Ilya Slavutskiy for his work on translating and mapping.