A German auctioneer has defended his decision to hold the biggest ever sale of Third Reich memorabilia.
Among the items to go on sale later this month are Hitler’s socks and ties, Goering’s underpants and a length of rope that was used to hang a Nazi convicted at Nuremberg.
Wolfgang Hermann is co-owner of the auction house which will host the sale entitled Hitler and the Nazi leaders — a look into the abyss of evil on Thursday next week.
In an interview with The Times he said: “This collection allows museums and collectors to acquire highly interesting pieces relating to Nazism and World War Two. We are completely aware of the disastrous German history between 1933 and 1945 and strictly reject all Nazi and neo-Nazi buyers.”
The sale, which will take place at the Hermann Historica auction house in Munich, comes from the collection of American John K. Lattimer, who served as a military surgeon in the Second World War. He was a passionate collector of Nazi memorabilia until his death nine years ago.
The tuft of noose tied around the neck of Julius Streicher —who ran the antisemitic newspaper Der Stuermer— will open at £400.
Among the other items on sale are x-rays of Hitler after an attempt on his life in 1944, as well as a secret phial that Goering used to hide cyanide in.
