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Adolf Hitler
Page 15
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Fantastic Grouping of Original Photos of a Hitler Visit (Item AH 15-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is an amazing group or original pictures that document an official visit of Adolf Hitler and his entourage to some unfortunately unidentified location in Germany. There are 40 pictures in the group and they are, I’m sure unpublished anywhere. From the look o the backs of the pictures it appear as if they must have at one time been in an album. The action takes place entirely on an airfield as Hitler arrives in the corrugated-side Junkers aircraft. With Hitler are Franz von Papen, his deputy chancellor in 1933 and 1934, and Ambassador to Austria later in 1934. Also accompanying Hitler are General Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg, Minister of War and commander of Germany’s armed forces until 1938, who, unfortunately, was sacked because of an affair and unfortunate marriage to a lady who had some serious baggage, which incensed the Führer to dismiss him. This was very unfortunate because the field marshal was certainly an exceptional staff officer and a recipient of the Pour le Mérite in WWI. The pictures all measure 5 x 3 1/2 inches and with the exception of one or two that might have a crease or a corner broken off, they are in marvelous, pristine condition. In one of them Ernst Rhome, the SA leader, is seen reviewing his brown battalions. At least 13 of the pictures show the leaders and the Führer, while the others are of assembled unidentified political leaders, police, SA, SS, dignitaries, etc. This is one very fascinating and important archival grouping. It is absolutely original and quite candid and a treasury of unpublished photos never before seen.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Mussolini Table Knife (Item AH 15-2; I-FAS 2-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is a grand piece of Wellner table service—a dinner knife in the traditional German style with the fasces of Rome raised in high relief on the handle. It has the crown moon and ‘800’ along with the Imperial-style eagle stamped at the top of the grip on the blade (Nicht Rostend), “stainless.” This is a very historic piece made by the same silversmiths that made the silverware for Adolf Hitler. The purpose of this was to honor the guests among the high dignitaries who visited Germany and the NS leaders. The set of Italian service was kept in the Führerbau in the Königsplatz in Munich. This is where the most important guests to the Führer and party had their diplomatic meetings. Here is where Hitler met with Britain’s Neville Chamberlain and Italy’s Benito Mussolini for the famous Munich conference of September 29, 1938. This was actually a four-power conference with Edouard Daladie of France having a little bit of a say, also. Many Italian dignitaries, including Count Ciano Mussolini’s son-in-law and chief of the Italian press corps and Undersecretary of State for Press and Propaganda (1934) also met there. He was also a highly placed member of the Fascist Grand Council. Many other Italian leaders of military and political fame visited the Führerbau and it was for this reason that the Italienischer Abendessensatz was created. This set of Besteck, or dinnerware, was brought out only when some of these honored guests and allies were present for dinner, and this is the one and only piece of this exceedingly rare set that we have ever seen or been able to acquire. It is much rarer by far than the Hitler silverware for the fact that the Führer’s sets numbered many groupings at the Reichs’ Chancery, the Berghof, the Prinzregentplatz apartment, the Brown house, and dozens of hotels that he frequented during the era of the Reich, but this set was to be found in only one place and that was in Munich’s Führerbau and there only. So in comparison with the prices brought for AH silverware today, the price we set on this very rare relic cannot seem too bad at all.
PRICE: $989.00 |
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Book Das Antlitz des Führers by Heinrich Hoffmann (Item AH 15-3) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This book, The Face of the Führer, is a very handsome collection of 16 7 x 9-inch portrait photos of Adolf Hitler. Each is dated and the dates range from 1919 to 1939. The book was the pride of the Führer’s personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann. The copyright is 1939 and published in Munich. We have had copies of this rare book before, but never in this immaculate condition. This is a much-sought-after deluxe edition.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Reich’s Chancellery Tableware, Reichskanzlei Besteck (Item AH 15-4) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Wow! Here is a spoon and fork from the Führer’s Berlin chancellery. This Neureichskanzlei was the building where all the most important state affairs were conducted. It was the official building for Adolf Hitler. It was also one of his official residences. The building was truly a masterpiece of colossal architecture. Albert Speer, the greatest of the Third Reich builders, and Hitler’s personal state architect, turned over the finished building on January 9, 1939. No building before or hence could compare to it for sheer beauty and utter magnificence. The master plan of the new Reich’s Chancellery was best felt by experiencing the room-to-room sequence. A tension-rich change took place at pleasant intervals; each room is completely individual in concept, yet all the rooms were linked by a close relationship and made fascinating by their individual paradoxes. They all perfectly served the concept of leading the visitor step by step to the Führer of the German people and the leader of the greater German Reich, in a dignified manner. The visitor was easily compelled as he goes to change his gait from strolling or walking to pacing and finally to a strut. This building was the technical rebirth of German majesty and Teutonic grandeur. The scale used to build the grand old castles was exceeded, not in splendor or special extension, but by an obviously more comprehensive spiritual attitude. Speer was the builder, but the Führer himself was the ultimate designer. Even stronger than the powerful façade of the new Reich’s Chancellery were the inner parts which exuded power and greatness and had definitely been birthed by a strong, self-confident era..? See the pictures of the Führer’s personal office and the actual candlesticks that we have. See Item AH 11-1. The silver dinnerware pieces we offer were the official Besteck, or flatware, from the Kanzlei. The Adolf Hitler formal-pattern silverware was used only when the Führer was to attend a dinner or luncheon personally. Otherwise, guests used the Reich’s Chancellery silverware. It’s far more scarce than the A.H. pieces since it was used only here, while the formal pattern with the familiar Hitler eagle, ‘A.H.,’ and Greek key pattern were used in several of his residences and was produced in the thousands. While it is said the R.K. pattern was used here, only Mussolini, Ciano, Chamberlain, Göring, Goebbels, and Himmler used this flatware when the Führer himself was not seated. This pattern almost never shows up probably one to a hundred of the A.H. formal patterns They are nowhere near as fine, but so much more scarce than the Führer’s personal pieces. The eagle pattern is similar between them but different. The eagles are actually finer in detail, but the absence of the Greek-key design makes the rest of the pieces rather plain. We are sure that this was purposeful so that the Führer’s Besteck would shine gloriously on the gala table when the German leader was present. The pieces are in ‘800’ silver (so marked). Also, the crown, the half moon, and Imperial-looking eagle are to be noted on each piece. Wellner may well have produced them while the formal pattern A.H. flatware was by Bruckmann. These are the dinner sized: 8 1/4 inches long. They show use, but are in extremely good condition. They are very historically important museum pieces. We prefer to sell them together.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Handbag of Angela ‘Geli’ Raubel, Hitler’s Niece (Item AH 15-5) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Since we ran the story about Adolf Hitler’s revolver there have been several items offered to us by GI participants in the occupation of Adolf Hitler’s apartment at the Prinzregentenstrasse in Munich. Also, certain collectors, bought items from Frau Anni Winter, who was Hitler’s housekeeper at the apartment complex. After the war, Anni Winter ran a small shop in Munich. Some of these people have come forward to offer items that were bought from her. One of the fascinating pieces is the swastika-decorated lady’s handbag that we feature here. This is possibly one of the most interesting objects of Hitler-connected items that have ever turned up, other than the revolver, and signed picture given to Frau Winter. Geli is the daughter of Hitler’s widowed half-sister. She was a bright, charming, and rather skeptical observer and was privy to the inner dynamics of the Nazi leadership and, for the most part, disinterested. It is at a point in the history of the affair that Hitler invites the 18-year-old Geli to work at the Obersalzburg (Berghof), his Alps retreat. Seen through Geli’s eyes, her uncle has genuine charm and he is lavish with gifts and attentions. It is agreed by most serious historians that he obviously loved her very deeply and sincerely, but because her love for him was virtually unrequited because of his political agenda, she took her own life with his S & W revolver. See our story on the revolver. Hitler said, “I would never marry because I am married to the German people.” After turning the room in which Geli died into a shrine, he focused on his political career with a driving passion. Some historians believe the death of his beloved niece was the turning point which developed an ardent devotion in him to go on as a serious master politician instead of the virtual rabble rouser he had been up until then. It has been said that the revolver we mention was that inanimate object that changed the course of world history and this looms obvious, but that apartment house and all it trappings at the Prinzregentenstrasse must be said to be the place where that tragic event changed world history. This was No. 16, the apartment complex where the whole saga of love, conquest, joy, depression, and tragedy took place. It was also the place of occupation by the German leader’s enemies and the site where all these fascinating relics were looted from by souvenir-hunting GIs. We have said previously that the future Führer bestowed many expensive gifts on his niece, and some of those were there when the GIs entered the home and it is also a fact that Frau Winter, his chief housekeeper, whisked up many of the mementos and had them in full knowledge that someday these treasures would be extremely valuable. In April 1954, a Munich court ended a 3-year legal squabble over some of the last effects of Adolf Hitler. To little Frau Anni Winter, his onetime housekeeper, (“Hitler was always good to me, she said.”) the court awarded one used Hitler suitcase, five copies of Mein Kampf, a silver-framed photograph, and three watercolors by A. Hitler (Time magazine, 1954). It is well known that these are not the only Hitler items that Anni squirreled away. In the 1960’s, she opened a small antique shop in Munich and sold normal antiques, but when she was convinced that a customer was a serious historian with a genuine interest in N.S. history and especially fascination with her former employer, she would go to the Gütezimmer and produce a genuine Hitler memento to the amazement of the onlooker. Seldom did she ever sell any of the articles. However, after her death, the items were auctioned off in a famous Munich auction house and some of it sold privately by this house. The fantastic handbag, or evening purse, was one of those items purchased from one of the German buyers, who is an author and collector of note. The article pretty much speaks for itself in that it is obviously of 1930s vintage and features about 86 swastikas joined in Teutonic ambivalence. The top of the purse is decorated in the typical Teutonic—almost Vikinglike motif—with the dragons intertwined with other Aryan symbolism. This was the favored art form of the National Socialist mythos of the Kampfzeit period. See the SA Trophy, Item SA 6-5. Also, see the Wagnerian motif at Item ART 3-1. Note the design on the base under the silver SA figures and take note of the plaques of victory (the winners’ plaques). You can see almost identical design in these artistic depictions. The bag itself is in a soft, moleskin leather and the decorative accouterments are in silver. On the inside of the silver top opening is a stamp “RBH” and a logo of some kind and the characters “900S” for 900-grade silver, or Silber! It measures 9 x 7 1/2 inches. A fine silver-beaded chain serves as a carry handle. The bag is all in all very sound and when closed make a resounding ‘snap.’ We are certain that this was a special order for Geli, but who gave it to her? There are several possibilities, but the fairly obvious conclusion that looms is that it was one of the very expensive gifts from her adoring uncle. The décor, if nothing else, strongly suggests this. Yes, Geli was a romantically inspired girl, who may not have been so interested in the politics of the time, but she was as history informs us very interested in the lore of the ancient Germanic tribes and, of course, animals were her other passion; even mythological animals. So, here we present one of the most interesting and ultra-rare personal possessions of the beautiful Austrian girl who loved, but lost, but gained immortality in the end through her tragic suicide and that tragic death that changed the world.
PRICE: $14,000.00 |
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“Unser Hitler” Teacup (Item AH 15-6; GEN 10-6) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a great, little piece of original Kitch. After the election of Adolf Hitler in 1933, the German specialty shops throughout the Reich abounded with items with the graven image of the Führer. Most of them still showed him in the brown-shirt uniform of the Kampfzeit (the struggle for power). This was the contribution of the Schumann Company of Munich, Bavaria. It is a really pretty little cup with a great depiction on color of the leader. The face is particularly good and reflects the enthusiasm of his political agenda. The rim is colored black, white, and red; Germany’s national colors. The maker’s mark is clear with the rampant lion. It is 3 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. This is a genuine prize of a Third Reich patriotic item that was a treasured collectible, even in its time.
PRICE: $450.00 |
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Tapestry of the Führer (Item AH 15-7; ART 10-3) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is an actual period tapestry depicting Adolf Hitler in the uniform of the Deutsches Kampfzeit 1922-1933. This was the time that the NS Party was in the greatest struggle. This is the young Hitler and the artist has captured all the leader’s youthful exuberance and ironclad determination. The manner of capturing not only a true likeness in this art form, but also the vibrant colors and treatment of fabric and accouterments is truly phenomenal. Seldom have we seen better. The shadowing is superb. It measures 16 x 20 inches in the frame. The actual tapestry is 14 x 17 1/2 inches. The frame is new, but in keeping with the type that would have been used. This is a fine historic treasure from the saga of the Third Reich.
PRICE: $1,500.00 |
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Adolf Hitler Glossy Portrait Commemorating the War in Spain (Item AH 15-8; AXIS 5-15) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a fine suitable-for-framing glossy portrait by Jacobs, in 1933, of the Führer, Adolf Hitler. It was one of the most popular of the portraitures of Hitler. We managed to buy a group of these on our last German trip in April. They are considered rare because of what they were issued for on May 31, 1939: the valiant soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Legion Condor came home on KDG ships from the war in Spain having secured for Franco Spain’s total victory over the communists from Russia and other fallen nations. America allowed a motley crew of rabble called the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to take part in the attempted coup against the traditional catholic and democratic country. The Lincoln Brigade was outright red. Make no mistake, regardless of what Hemmingway or other leftist goons had to say, and unfortunately, still utter. Hillary and Bill would have loved them! The pictures were either distributed or sold at the gala welcome that Germany held in Hamburg for its victorious hero sons. The stamps on the back of the pictures proclaim: “Heimkehr der Deutshcen Freiwilligen aus Spanien,” “Homecoming of the German volunteers from Spain May 31, 1939.” Shown is the insignia of the Falange, the Franco patriotic Spanish movement against the communists, domestic and foreign. The pictures re in size 10 x 8 inches and most are in pristine condition as they were removed from a sealed carton that was from the year 1939.
PRICE: $52.00; each |
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Study of a Painting of Adolf Hitler (Item AH 15-9) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is an original picture (period) of the Führer in informal pose in the famous uniform of the Chancellor (prewar). It measures 6 3/4 x 10 inches and is in full color. It has a facsimile of his signature underneath. It was painted by M. Harnich of Berlin (Kunstverlags). This would be a great item to frame since it again is completely original from the Third Reich era. Not a copy! This is one of the best likenesses we have seen of the German Führer.
PRICE: $125.00; remember, original |
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Reichsbahn German Railroad Flower-Bud Vase (Item AH 15-11; NSD 10-14) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a neat, little rarity. This is one of the formal bud vases as used in the private cars of important officials such as the Führer, himself. It bears the raised government eagle and swastika with ‘DR’ under it, which represents: “Deutsches Reichsbahn.” On the bottom of the base is the word ‘ALPAKA,’ and there is a rectangular area where a company name has been obliterated???, and a unit number ‘210.’ This is a very-fine-looking artifact on its own with lots of historic significance. The Führerzug, or Hitler’s private train, was known to have these in his personal car and always in the units reserved for important honorary guests.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Bronze Statue of Adolf Hitler (Item AH 15-12; ART 10-5) DESCRIPTION: Here is one of the greatest art offerings ever offered on our pages. This is a wonderful standing statue of Adolf Hitler by famed Third Reich artist Kurt Schmid-Ehmen. This was the Third Reich period artist who sculpted many of the items of décor for the Parteitag grounds, the German exhibitions building at the Paris Exhibition, the party building, and the Führer building in Munich, and literally hundreds of other monumental sculptures in the N.S. Reich. On our pages under ART 9-1 and PARTY 2-10 you can see a narration about this prolific artist along with pictures of small renditions of his famous eagles at the Party rally grounds at Nuremberg. This statue was one of the items that we were able to procure at the Preussische Bergwerks U. Hotten AG on the outskirts of Berlin in the community of Gleiwitz. Look at our narration at ART 9-1 of our site for an interesting background on the procurement of the Schmid-Ehmen eagles. It seems that the artist had a contract with this company to produce these items that he either sold or, in the case of the Hitler statue, was commissioned for. We believe the Hitler statues were meant for inner-party distribution in the NSDAP; possibly for museums, special offices, schools, etc. It’s interesting that the signature on the bronze is spelled ‘Ehmenn,’ with two ‘N’s.’ Possibly, this is why three of them were found together in a work bin. Could it be that this mistake was detected and the pieces were slated to be corrected or done over? Believe it or not, even German artists make mistakes. There was a circle in red over each extra ‘N’ when found them so we believe almost for sure that the name ‘Ehmenn’ was to be changed to ‘Ehmen.’ These are the little nuances of history—thought provoking, but nonetheless, interesting. However, someone’s spelling mistake back in the 1940s does not in the least detract from the overall greatness of the sculpture. This remains one of the rarest and most important pieces of Third Reich art yet unearthed. The statues were found without marble base as in the case of the eagles. The Bergwerk produced bronze art pieces, but not marble. The marble plinths were manufactured and cut at another location also in the hamlet of Gleiwitz that specialized in granite, marble, and stone. We arranged with the manager of the Bergwerk to have bases made by that original company and applied to the statuary. They are done exactly like the originals were cut and constructed. See Item ART 9-1 for more on this background. As for the statue itself, it is astoundingly true to life in its depiction of Adolf Hitler at the time of the Kampfzeit, 1920 to 1933 (struggle for power). All during the turbulent time one would see the young Hitler either in shirt sleeves (the brown shirt) or in this trench coat as you see him depicted here. The first trench coat was given to him by Dietrich Eckart, his mentor and the man he thought the most of in the world. There are hundreds of pictures of him in this same old coat. It became his profile to say the least. When he was noticed by the world press he was often called “the right-wing radical in the trench coat.” Only after being elevated to German chancellor was this familiar coat discarded for a leather version of the same style. So much did he like his old trench coat that the later, more stylish leather one had to have the very same look. Also, legend has it that he liked the coat because it had deep pockets where he habitually carried his petite, but deadly .22-caliber S & W revolver without the need of a holster. See our narrative on Adolf Hitler’s revolver. The statue is about 21 inches high including the beautifully cut marble base. The base is about 6 1/2 inches square and about an inch and an eighth thick. The bronze base is 5 1/2 inches square. The shoulders of the Führer measure about 5 inches across. The patina is great showing some slight and very acceptable wear. We have only seen one other of this statue before finding the Gleiwitz pieces and the asking price of that one was over $15,000 and it was shown at several military shows around the nation. It is true that this is much rarer than a Hitler bust, but at Germania we sell guided by what we have invested in each piece. So in this case the collector is the fortunate one because we are willing to take a very reasonable price for this historically important offering of Third Reich art by one of its leading exponents.
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PRICE: $3,950.00
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