This Polish diplomatic passport from 1935 was issued for Krystyna Rogalska, daughter of consul Mieczysław Rogalski. Rogalski was a member of the Polish Military Organization from 1914. After Poland regained independence, he entered the diplomatic service. From 1928–1939, he worked…

1939 Poland was an ominous place for a Jew. After the Nazi invasion that started World War II, the country was divided, with Germany claiming the western half and Soviet Russia claiming the eastern half. Neither of these occupiers was…

You see here a marvelous travel document from British Jamaica issued to a young soldier in uniform in 1953, well before Jamaicas’ independence in 1962. Attractive are also the revenue stamps on page one. His passport was valid for the…

Intelligence combines information and understanding. In spring 1952, an unexpected piece of information rippled through the international postwar intelligence community: Walter Schellenberg, the head of Nazi Germany’s political foreign intelligence service, Amt VI of Heinrich Himmler’s Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) – Office…

Beniamino Gigli (20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Here, his Italian passport containing his photograph, signature, stamps and visas, issued on December 10, 1954….

Meet Lora and Ernst Drechsler. I assume they were brother and sister but could have also been a married couple. Both were born in Vienna in 1906 resp. 1908 and both of their German passports were issued in Vienna with…

A reader’s question was the inspiration for this article about the East German (GDR) Embassy in Washington DC, USA. A filmmaker needed a close-up from a GDR exit-visa for a film scene. The story is about a German Democratic Republic…

Nowadays, we see the frequent use of the wording “rare” and “very rare” just as an eyecatcher. I believe I use this wording carefully. Its use is definitely justified for this extraordinary Holy See passport issued in 1964 for the…

It is always a joy to get reader-emails, especially when they include pictures of unusual passports. Here comes such a document from a British gentleman who wanted to have an expert opinion on one of the Liverpool football players’ passports….