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Nazi items, Hitler materials auctioned in Germany

By Ed Adamczyk
A room featuring photographic reproductions of former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is seen at the New York City Jewish Museum. File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI
A room featuring photographic reproductions of former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is seen at the New York City Jewish Museum. File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Pieces of Nazi memorabilia and material belonging to former leader Adolf Hitler was auctioned off Wednesday, in a sale that's drawn condemnation from European Jewish community leaders.

The auction in Munich included 149 items related to Germany's Third Reich, including a silver letter seal owned by Hitler's girlfriend Eva Braun and an edition of his book Mein Kampf that has decorative silver detailing on its cover. The collection is part of 842 historic items from post-World War I Germany.

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The book sold for $143,851 and the letter seal for $11,618.

"Selling such items should be no different to selling the personal items belonging to Osama Bin Laden or Anders Breivik, European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin wrote in a letter to German political leaders. "The argument of historical interest is pure semantics.

"We urge the German authorities to compel auction houses to divulge the names of those who are buying such material, in order to know whose hands they have fallen into. The names should then be put on a government watch list for public safety."

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Margolin acknowledged that such an auction of Nazi memorabilia isn't illegal, but he it will likely attract bidders who glorify Nazism.

Auction house Hermann Historica organized the sale, and Director Bernard Pacher said it has little control over the items after purchase. He said Hermann Historica, however, is restricting the list of bidders.

"The largest part of the customers who shop with us are museums, state collections and private collectors who really meticulously deal with the subject," Pacher said.

Hermann Historica sold a Nazi uniform worn by Hitler for more than $300,000 at a 2016 auction.

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