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November 18, 2020 - Droog Magazine periodical for investigative journalism

The Hitler Forgery Industry

to Hitler Forgery Industry main page - to Droog Magazine

1987  | Auctions |  Certificates of Authenticity


The strange business of selling fakes, forgeries and other concoctions attributed to Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and other Nazi criminals.

Introduction

Even though the Hitler diaries scandal made it quite clear that there were many fake Hitlers on the market, the trade in the "authentic" Hitler watercolors and other objects attributed to Hitler continued.

Content

Self-portrait of the “Führer” discovered (July 1987)
Hitler's hat and paintings for auction (October 1987)

Exchange rates / value of money 1987



Self-portrait of the “Führer” discovered

Speyer, (spk / dpa) The West German historian and Hitler biographer Werner Maser discovered during scientific research two paintings that Adolf Hitler allegedly painted According to Maser, this is probably the only oil self-portrait of Hitler that has ever come to light. The reverse of the 58 x 41 centimeter portrait on cardboard shows a copy of Sandro Botticelli's (1445-1510) painting "The Young Man with the Red Cap."

Neue Zürcher Nachrichten, Zürich, July 29, 1987.,


Photo of the “self-portrait”, as published in the Dutch newspapers Nieuwsblad van het Noorden and NRC Handelsblad, July 29, 1987. Both newspapers failed to mention the fake nature of this work.













Photographs of the works were published in the German newspaper Morgen Post, 29-07-1987. Courtesy Gerd Heidemann Archiv.


Selbstportrait des «Führers» entdeckt

Speyer, (spk/dpa) Der westdeutsche Historiker und Hitler-Biograph Werner Maser ist bei wissenschaftlichen Recherchen auf zwei Gemälde gestossen, die Adolf Hitler gemalt haben soll. Dabei dürfte es sich, so Maser, um das einzige bislang aufgetauchte Selbstbildnis in öl von Hitler handeln, und die Rückseite des 58x41 Zentimeter grossen Porträts auf Karton zeigt eine Kopie des Gemäldes «Der Jüngling mit der roten Kappe» von Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510).

Neue Zürcher Nachrichten, Zürich, 29-07-1987.
https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=NZN19870729-01.2.20.5


Hitler never made oil paintings, let alone oil self-portraits.

Werner Maser is notorious for his "discoveries" about Hitler. He also "discovered" Hitler's son Jean Loret, or rather, one of the ten alleged children of Hitler who surfaced after 1945. Needless to say that none of them was related in any way to the German dictator.

See for more about Maser: A. Joachimsthaler. Korrektur einer Biographie. Adolf Hitler 1908-1920. Mit 67 Textabbildungen und 69 Fotos. Herbig, [München], [1989], a.o. pages 8-13, 65, 163-164.

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Hitler's hat for auction

LONDON, Sunday (AAP). – Auctioneers in London next week will be expecting a record-breaking price for a hat - a hat that once belonged to Adolf Hitler.

The hat is believed to have been worn by the German leader when he entered his bomb-proof shelter for the last days of World War II.

Phillips, the auctioneers, expect it to fetch between £25,000 and £35,000 (SA56,830 and $A79,562) in the sale of memorabilia from both world wars, much of it brought home in the kitbags of returned soldiers.

The auctioneers are convinced of the gold braided hat's authenticity, claiming there's documentation to prove a Nazi official took it from the bunker after Hitler's death.

He was then relieved of it by an American intelligence officer who presented it to his girlfriend.

The hat was sold in the United States 10 years ago and purchased by a German who now wishes to sell it but wants to remain anonymous.

[Droog Magazine:
given the story on the provenance the authenticity of this hat is highly dubious.]

Hitler's hat for auction. The Canberra Times, Canberra (Australia), 14-09-1987.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122121891

Aftermath

London. - (AP) Adolf Hitler's cap that was due to be auctioned in London on Wednesday has not found a buyer. The auction house Philipps, which specializes in militaria, had hoped that the field-gray, richly decorated piece would fetch between 25,000 and 30,000 pounds. At the opening bid of 10,000 pounds, however, no hand moved and the cap went back to the storage room. Three watercolors of Viennese city views from 1910 and 1912, made by Hitler, which changed hands for £ 2,750 each, were more popular. However, three other watercolors and one oil painting also found no buyers.”


Nich begehrt. No buyer for Hitler cap. Walliser Bote, Brig (Schweiz), 16-10-1987.
https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=WAB19871016-01.2.45


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Exchange rates / value of money 1987

1 D-mark = 1,13 NL guilder.
1 NL guilder = 0,88 D-mark
1 US dollar = 2,18 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 0,46 US dollar.
1 UK pound = 3,23 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 0,31 UK pound
1 B-franc =  0,05 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 19 B-franc
1 F-franc = 0,34 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 2,90 F franc
1 Swiss franc = 1,35 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 0,74 Swiss franc
1 A schilling = 0,16 NL guilder
1 NL guilder = 6,25 A-schilling

Wisselkoersen. NRC Handelsblad, Amsterdam, 02-01-1987.
https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBNRC01:000030393:mpeg21:a0167

CPI Inflation Calculator – for US dollars.This inflation calculator uses official records published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/

Convertisseur franc-euro. Pouvoir d'achat de l'euro et du franc. Le convertisseur franc-euro mesure l'érosion monétaire due à l'inflation.
https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2417794


Value of the Guilder/Euro. International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam.
http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/calculate.php



© Compilation Bart FM Droog, 2020.