Table of contents:
- 1. Hitler's Mercedes Benz 770k: $ 10 million
- 2. Victoria Cross Medal: $ 555,000
- 3. Hitler's ceremonial brass writing desk: $ 422,000
- 4. Enigma encryption machine: $ 221,000
- 5. Anne Frank's Letters: $ 166,000
- 6. Pistol "Luger" of the Hitlerite "night guard": $ 161,000
- 7. Mussolini Medal Order of Courage: $ 123,000
- 8. Peter White's Archive: $ 50,000
- 9. Churchill's manuscript: $ 37,000
- 10. Winston Churchill's snuffbox: $ 24,000
Video: 10 most expensive WWII artifacts - items that belonged to Hitler and Churchill
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The Second World War is the largest and possibly the last global conflict that all of humanity on planet Earth has ever faced. However, it was a historic moment that helped shape the modern world. Millions of lives have been lost, but history has come true …
However, artifacts from such a chaotic time have evolved commercially. Many items that survived World War II may have been worthless at that time, but now their cost literally goes off scale, and only people with a huge fortune can afford them. And it seems that many of them want to get hold of a piece of history at any cost, even if its past is filled with horror, fear and agony.
1. Hitler's Mercedes Benz 770k: $ 10 million
This is the car that drove Adolf Hitler through hordes of adoring Germans and Nazi supporters before and during World War II. Tracking a classic car took careful research and patience. As a result, this Mercedes Benz 770k was finally identified as Hitler's after a very long study of historical photographs that connected the German leader with this car. Shortly thereafter, German car dealer Michael Frohlich sold Mercedes Benz to the Russian billionaire, making him the sole owner of a car that once belonged to one of the most significant figures in world history.
2. Victoria Cross Medal: $ 555,000
History has dozens of volunteers who achieved victory at the cost of their own lives. This is the case with Private Edward Kenna of the Australian 2 / 4th Battalion, who risked being killed just to withdraw a Japanese machine gun position during the Battle of Wewak, New Guinea, in 1945. Despite heavy machine gun fire, Private Kenna killed the machine gun crew and was awarded the Order of the Victoria Cross. But for unknown reasons, the medal was soon sold at the Spink & Son auction in July 2011 for an impressive sum.
3. Hitler's ceremonial brass writing desk: $ 422,000
This is practically the table on which Adolf Hitler signed the Munich Pact, an agreement that would lead to World War II. Hitler's initials and inkwell are engraved on the writing table. The table is also decorated with the Nazi coat of arms in the form of an eagle and a swastika. 2nd Lieutenant Jack McConn confiscated a table from Hitler's Munich office in 1945, and the piece of furniture soon appeared at the Alexander Autographs auction in December 2011. (The image shown is not the actual table described in this entry.)
4. Enigma encryption machine: $ 221,000
The Enigma encryption machine greatly helped the Allies to turn the tide of the war against the Germans. This spy machine, enclosed in a wooden box, helped the Allies decipher secret messages from the German military that revealed their troop movements, orders, strategies and other vital information. And in September 2011, this encryption machine was sold to Christies and is reportedly in excellent working order.
5. Anne Frank's Letters: $ 166,000
While Anne Frank is best known for her diary, which was found after the war, other written works she did have raised a lot of money as well. Before the invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Anna and her sister corresponded with friends who lived in Danville, Iowa. The letters have survived for years. Anne Frank's relics include two letters, a postcard and two passport-sized photographs. The letters were certified by the director of the Anne Frank Center in Amsterdam. And later, years later, Swann Galleries took possession of these letters and put them up for auction for an impressive amount of one hundred and sixty-six thousand dollars.
6. Pistol "Luger" of the Hitlerite "night guard": $ 161,000
It is known that Adolf Hitler was always on the alert, especially when it came to his safety. So much so that his night guards were given rare Luger pistols loaded with tracer bullets and equipped with flashlights to keep him safe at night. One of the Lugers survived and surfaced in 2012 at the Rock Island auction. The pistol sold for a whopping $ 161,000.
7. Mussolini Medal Order of Courage: $ 123,000
When Benito Mussolini was dismissed by his administration and subsequently arrested in 1943, his property was also seized, among the confiscated items was his Medal of the Order of Courage. The medal survived the war and was sold at La Galerie Numismatique in March 2012 for one hundred twenty-three thousand dollars. As a result, the sale indicated a growing interest among collectors of the Second World War in items that once belonged to the Italian dictator.
8. Peter White's Archive: $ 50,000
Peter White was an infantry platoon commander who served in the Royal Army of Scotland. During the war, he documented daily events that date from January 1, 1938 to August 10, 1944. He placed all his memories of the war in a diary, which also included drawings, sketches, and several newspaper clippings. Also, along with the manuscript, four medals, a Kodak camera and photographs processed from the film of the specified camera were sold.
9. Churchill's manuscript: $ 37,000
This particular paragraph is a typewritten text detailing the message from Churchill after the invasion of Sicily and the overthrow of Mussolini. It also includes several fixes from Winston himself. In 2003, this piece was sold at Sotheby's for nearly thirty-seven thousand dollars.
10. Winston Churchill's snuffbox: $ 24,000
A snuffbox is a small ornamented container that contains snuff, or mostly scented tobacco powder. Churchill gave his silver Snuffbox to the doorkeeper of the House of Commons after losing it during the German blitzkrieg against London. In July 2006, this Snuffbox was sold at Sotheby's for twenty-four thousand dollars.
How they looked can be found in the following article, which presents documentary photographs of women who served in the ranks of Nazi Germany.
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