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November 19,
2019 - Droog Magazine periodical for investigative
journalism 2019| Auctions | Press | Certificates of Authenticity Again an upcoming
Hitleriana and other nazi rubbish auction in Germany
has caused much uproar. It started with an open letter by Rabbi Menachem
Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish
Association, to the auctioneers. In this letter the
Rabbi asked them to withdraw the auction, because
“some things particularly when so metaphorically
blood soaked, should not and must not be traded.” The top hat
shown by Marowitz is clearly different from
the top hat shown by Hermann Historica. Back to Rabbi
Margolin. He writes in his open letter that, in
view of the increasing anti-Semitism in Europe and
in particular in Germany, he fears that the Nazi
stuff will be bought by those who glorify the Nazi
regime and want to justify it. He also states that
trading in this junk is not illegal. The rabbi is
only partially right in that, because it is
illegal to sell items as authentic, while they are
clearly not. One calls this: swindle.
To
my
surprise, I discovered in the auction catalog a
few letters and a sketch by Hitler that are
authentic. Hitler produced this material in
1906-1908 for his childhood friend August Kubizek
(1888-1956). After Kubizek's death, his heirs gave
it on loan to the Oberösterreichisches
Landesarchiv in Linz (Austria). One of them
recently picked it up and is now trying to sell
these early Hitler items in Munich.
The Bavarian
Landeskriminalamt has since been notified of this
intended illegal sale. It is not yet clear whether
it is going to intervene or whether this
controversial material can be bought by a some
depraved collector.
Hermann Historica's managing director
Bernhard Pacher told the German press that he has
received numerous hate e-mails since Rabbi
Margolin's protest. He claims that the majority of
his customers are museums, state institutions, and
private collectors, who would critically deal with
the Nazi past. He distances himself from bidders who
want to buy the objects from an ideological point of
view. “It is up to us to prevent the wrong people
from getting hold of it. Unfortunately it is
unavoidable that this or that person with a wrong
background slips through.”
See also:
'Hitler's hat. A film by Jeff Krulik' (2002-2004),
for the full story on Richard Marowitz; www.jeffkrulik.com/hitlershat/ © Bart FM Droog, 2019 |
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