Possessions of Nazi leaders auctioned off in Limburg; Aiming for museum buyer
A auction house in Beek, Limburg, will be auctioning off memorabilia from Nazi leaders later this month, as part of a larger hunting collection. Hessink’s auction house is hoping for a museum buyer and is doing what it can to keep fanatics out, director Bradley Hessink told De Limburger.
Hessink is always cautious with items from the Second World War. “I would prefer to see these items end up in a museum, for example, so that they are off the market,” he said. But given that it is an open auction, it is impossible to guarantee where the items will go.
“But we are strict,” Hessink said about keeping fanatics out. Participants in the auction have to register in advance. “We do a background check and an ID check.”
The items involved are an album that Adolf Hitler received as a gift for his 49th birthday and swords and daggers that belonged to Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler. The value of Hitler’s album is estimated at around 15,000 euros. The swords are worth tens of thousands of euros.
The auction is scheduled for April 24. The Nazi items are part of the collection of a Belgian hunting collection. The lot also includes many other swords and items not related to the war, such as swords and daggers from various kings and princes, including a hunting sword that belonged to King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
