A total of 842 items from the German Third Reich period have been put up for sale in Munich by local auction house Hermann Historica, Poland’s niezalezna.pl news website reported on Wednesday.
According to the website, a rabbi representing Jews in Europe has appealed for the dubious memorabilia to be withdrawn from auction.
Among the items put up for sale is a top hat that Hitler often wore from 1930 to 1934, with a starting price of EUR 12,500, the Polish website reported.
Other lots include a sheepskin coat owned by Eva Braun, with a starting price of EUR 3,500, and a black silk dress she once wore, with bidding expected to start at EUR 2,200, according to niezalezna.pl.
In addition, a copy of Hitler’s rental contract in Munich is set to go on the auction block, along with letters received by the Nazi leader, niezalezna.pl reported.
Bidders are also expected to be offered a purse once used by Eva Braun, a set of her perfumes, as well as an ornamented edition of Hitler's anti-Semitic manifesto Mein Kampf belonging to onetime Nazi bigwig Hermann Goering.
The Polish website cited Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association, as saying that such auctions should not take place for moral reasons.
According to the JTA news agency, Margolin has said the memorabilia has “little intrinsic historical value” except to those seeking to glorify the Nazis.
He was also cited as saying last week that canceling the sale would “send a message that some things, particularly when so metaphorically blood soaked, should not and must not be traded.”
Meanwhile, Hermann Historica head Bernhard Pacher has been quoted as saying by the JTA news agency that “Yes, Hitler sells, but most of all to customers who are approaching it with serious historical interest.”
(gs/pk)
Source: niezalezna.pl, jta.org