Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about my distaste for Nazi memorabilia. I had been to an auction where the stuff had been sold and wondered why anyone anywhere would ever want to collect it.
I got and still get comments from people who want to sell their Nazi artifacts and collectors who get a little testy with me. I won’t collect it or have it in my house, but that has nothing to do with someone else who does. I suppose I was passing judgment, but later in the same post, I noted that I didn’t begrudge people who own it.
Darrell English – who collects Nazi memorabilia and lectures on the subject of the Nazis and World War II – was one of the few who answered my question unemotionally. He has 10,000 items in his collection and not all of them are Nazi-related, he said. He’s also a collector of World War II artifacts.
“Some people are transfixed the wrong way with the Nazi stuff,” said English, who plans to open a museum. “I’m not what I collect. I’m not a Nazi. I’m just an average guy who collects. I’m confident with that.”
Today’s question and answers focus on Nazi art and artifacts:
Question:
I am hereby offering the sale of the provenance of Adolf Hitler – bronze (bust) sculpture named “The Leader.” It was sculptured in 1937 by Hans Haffenrichter. It was then cast in bronze at the foundry of H. Noack in Friedenau, Berlin.
This one and only original bust is being stored in a storage vault and is in excellent condition. I don’t need to tell you that this is a one of a kind in the world and is really considered priceless by professional collectors and appraisers. I have the appraisals and photos and more specific details of its history to prove its authenticity. Obviously, a serious potential buyer will be granted to have a personal viewing by appointment.
I am writing you with the hope that you may be interested in the purchase of or might be able to steer me in the right direction to lead to a (potential) buyer. I understand that this may not be so easy to publically advertise due to its somewhat controversial origin and makeup and value.
Answer:
Sorry, but I’m not a fan of Nazi memorabilia. I’d suggest you try an auction house near you or some of the online sites that specialize in it. You can find them via Google. Another resource is a man whom I blogged about who does collect Nazi memorabilia, Darrell English.
Reply:
Thank you for your response and your suggestions. I have already contacted a few auction houses. It seems that they are not showing interest at this time. I can understand that most people are not keen to own a bust of Hitler himself and I really can’t imagine anyone placing it in their living room. I will follow up with Darrell English and see what he says.
My followup research:
Apparently, a number of sculptors made busts of Hitler, including Hedwig Maria Ley, Walther Wolff, Arno Brecker and Ferdinand Liebermann. They did other artwork as well, including paintings. Here are other works by Haffenrichter.
Many of the busts were either destroyed by troops and others at the collapse of the Third Reich, damaged during the war or brought back home. A 1979 article in the Washington Star told of a WWII newspaper correspondent who said he had smuggled a bust of Hitler – pockmarked with bullet holes – out of Hitler’s bunker in 1945. He tried selling it at auction but there were no takers (the article writer surmised that folks thought it was a fake).
I found what was described as a Haffenrichter Hitler bust for sale on a website for $1 million back in 2000, complete with what was said to be papers to authenticate it. There was no indication of whether it sold. Busts by other sculptors were sold on the web for sums exceedingly lower than that.
Question:
Some of the items shown are fakes and fantasy pieces. The reason these items brought nothing is they are not real. WWII German items (not just Nazi) are collected worldwide and by a large group of varied individuals. I personally collect WWII combat items and the Germans are who we fought. I cannot have a fair presentation without German items. The basic Heer or Army soldier was just like an American GI.
They had girlfriends, they believed in God and they bled when they were shot. They were no more Nazi than the American soldier. They happened to be fighting for a madman. I personally get SO tired of hearing people ask why I collect Nazi stuff.
Why do you collect coins, bottles, gum wrappers, etc?
Answer:
I believe it’s an affront to U.S. soldiers to put them in the same category as German soldiers, Nazi or otherwise. Granted, there were soldiers and German people who did not necessarily agree with the Nazi doctrine, but too many of them did.
I’m sure the civilians who died in the concentration camps weren’t making that distinction. They were innocent people, not soldiers of war. I think we all understand that in war, people get killed and die. The Holocaust was not a war; those folks who were starved to death, experimented on and forced to live in vile conditions weren’t given guns to overtake their oppressors. Here’s a blog post about a letter that an American doctor wrote to his family about his experience at a liberated concentration camp near Salzburg, Austria, in 1945. It’s almost unbearable to read.
If you proudly collect Nazi artifacts because, as you say, they are remnants of the war, don’t get defensive about it. Some folks like me ask the question because we are genuinely interested in why you collect. Others are passing judgment – which is their right, just as it is your right to collect the stuff.
This is America where you can collect anything you want – and believe me, we as a nation do just that. That would not have been the case if Hitler had succeeded.
As for the authenticity of the items at the auction, you may be right and wrong. I didn’t check any of the items during the auction preview for provenance or papers. Some may have been fakes and some may have been authentic. But they were all clearly Nazi.
