Hitler items are for sale in London

[Jim O]

LONDON -- An American has decided to sell a collection of Adolf Hitler memorabilia, including a watch the Nazi leader presented to the architect Albert Speer, a London art dealer said yesterday.

Minas Katchadorian said the collector, who does not wish to be identified, is now 77 and not in the best of health, "so he has decided to embark on a gradual downsizing program for his collection."

Last month, the same collector announced the sale of a desk and chair that once belonged to Hitler. Priced at around $1 million, the items have not yet sold, but Katchadorian says buyers across the world have shown interest.

The latest items, which are also being sold privately, include a gold and enamel pocket watch presented by Hitler to Speer -- who later became German minister of armaments -- as a mark of his friendship and esteem.

There is also a large silver tea tray presented to Hitler on his 50th birthday; in the center are his initials surmounted by the German eagle.

The American collector also is selling a map of Poland produced by British and American authorities for the trials of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg.

There are three landscape paintings and a portrait of Archduke Fernando of Austria and another, titled "The Boy Prince," believed to be Frederick the Great as a boy, all of which are believed to have belonged to Hitler.

A bronze bust of Hitler by G. Mattes and a rare 15th century, three-dimensional carved wood ec clesiastical figure by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer, also were being sold.

Katchadorian said the collector "has devoted so much time and energy to building and maintaining this fascinating collection, and we are sure there are similarly passionate collectors who will welcome the opportunity" to buy the pieces.

Last month, 21 watercolors and sketches attributed to Hitler sold for a total of $220,000 -- double their estimate -- at an auction in southwest England.

In many European countries, including Germany, it is illegal to buy, own or sell Nazi memorabilia.

Buyers of Hitler items are usually private collectors of military memorabilia or World War II enthusiasts.



Source: NJ.com: Everything Jersey

[Klaus]

I always wonder how they can be so sure that those items really belonged to Hitler.

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by Klaus

I always wonder how they can be so sure that those items really belonged to Hitler.

There must be "experts" to authenticate them.

[Klaus]

Still. I find it hard to believe. Who knows what had in his Office. Or in his private home?

[Jim O]

I agree. Unless it was formally authenticated by his secretary or a member of his inner staff. That's why I put experts in quotes.

[Klaus]

People believe what they want anyway. So why bother? The seller will make a huge ammount of money. That as sure as the "amen" in church.

[Jim O]

Amen to that.

[Helmut Von Moltke]

Spekaing of all this 'illegal' stuff, it depends on a person's personal taste, really. I am a bit more objective, so Hitler's art was much better than mine no doubt, but still a bit kitchy. Just imagine how it would have been if he stayed an artist...

K

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by Helmut Von Moltke

Spekaing of all this 'illegal' stuff, it depends on a person's personal taste, really. I am a bit more objective, so Hitler's art was much better than mine no doubt, but still a bit kitchy. Just imagine how it would have been if he stayed an artist...

K

As I said in another thread, he was a better artist than I ever was, but that didn't make him any better than any other "average" never heard-of artist. Certainly his work would not sell for much today but for who he became later. It would likely be selling for the equivalent of $20 at garage sales. I wonder what he would have done when he developed his tremor later. That would have made fine art a bit harder for him.

If Hitler had stayed an artist, Europe would still have had to resolve the disaster of Versailles in one way or another. Stalin may have been the "Hitler" and we might be talking about the Battles of Paris and Madrid. Or perhaps a series of small wars. The way I see it, the 20th century in Europe was one long war, starting with the events in Sarajevo, and finishing with the the wars that broke up Yugoslavia in that very same region. Those last wars, were, after all, a consequence also of the first one. The only reason that region stayed united was that Tito had the respect of all, or at least of most, of the nationalities there. And that, ironically, he owed to Hitler for having invaded.

[Klaus]

A good artist makes a crappy leader so to speak. Or is it the other way round? I take it that nobody would be interested in Hitlers "art" if he didn't lay waste to most of europe (not by himself of course).

But just imagine: Showing your friends your new home.
"Whats that crap on your wall that calls itself a painting?"
"It's a Hitler"
"Ohhhh, a Hitler! Fine piece of art."