Authentic Nazi Items

Pdyx · Post by **Pdyx** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:10 pm

Short version:

What would you do with authentic Nazi items? Hold onto them, sell them, donate them to a museum?

Long version:

So my grandfather was in WWII and he was stationed throughout Europe, including fighting in Germany. He met my grandmother in Belgium (my grandmother is French Belgian) and brought her back with him after the war. And he also brought back some other things.

My grandfather passed away several years ago, but my grandmother is still alive. She just had a heart-attack, unfortunately. She's out of the hospital now but the test results aren't good and she isn't being given very long to live. She gave my Dad some authentic Nazi stuff that my grandfather brought back from WWII. She didn't feel comfortable having it and what if someone found it after she passes, etc.

So last night my Dad shows me this stuff and basically offers it to me. He mentions various things that could be done with it, hold on to it, donate it to a museum, etc. I was a little caught off guard and so I say, I don't know, let me think about it. Maybe donating it somewhere is a good idea. He's not so sure about that, giving me the impression he doesn't really want to do that.

So, I'm wondering this. What would you do if you acquired authentic Nazi stuff? Sell it? Donate it? Keep it for future generations? I'm not sure he'll give it to me, but I at least thought I'd do some research and see what the options are for us to talk through. Seems like you can sell some of that stuff for a lot of money, but that seems a little shady to me. Donating it does seem to take it out of our family, but I'm not sure that's a bad idea. Hold onto it as it becomes more unique and valuable and offer it to the next generation in my family?

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:11 pm

I'd keep it. Depends on what it is, I guess. Authentic Jewskin nightshade? Gotta go. Dagger or uniform stuff? I'd keep it.

AtemHutlrt · Post by **AtemHutlrt** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:39 pm

I'd be less focused on the "Nazi" element, and more on the "relics of an interesting, important part of family and world history" angle. I'd keep the stuff, probably; generally speaking, family relics have to be worth millions before I'd consider selling them.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:40 pm

I'd check around to make sure it was legal to sell, for one thing. Then I'd sell the shit out of it, either way, because I'm a remorseless son of a bitch who doesn't particularly care about stuff that happened to other people several decades ago, and who doesn't see the Nazis as being evil in any meaningful sense. Probably the "right" thing to do is contact various museums and donate the stuff [and write it off on taxes, if you're the sort of person who, unlike me, can do things like that].

AtemHutlrt · Post by **AtemHutlrt** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:45 pm

3278 wrote:I'd check around to make sure it was legal to sell, for one thing.

A good point. Ebay, Craigslist, etc. probably won't be ok with it, so you might have to go the private-auction route, but, depending on exactly what it is, it's almost definitely legal to sell in the US. Now, in Europe...

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:07 pm

If you're not looking to make money from the items, and you appreciate the historical significance of such thins, and you would like other people to be able to enjoy them, but do not want to lose ownership of them (all these factors are the camp I'd be in), then you can loan them to a museum. You still retain ownership, but they then go on display at the museum, and can even have a plaque that reads something like "On loan from the Pdyx family." The museums usually have contracts for this situation. However, before you go offering any property for museums to borrow, I'd check the legality of your possession of the items, particularly if any firearms are involved.

Iantha · Post by **Iantha** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:28 am

You haven't really mentioned the kinds of things they are. Here's another thing that may bring about complications; are they items that could possibly have belonged to families that were destroyed by the Nazis? Some of those things (like paintings, family jewels, etc) have been returned to those families.

Pdyx · Post by **Pdyx** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:28 pm

Last night I went over to my Dad's house again and we looked at the stuff together. He again offered it to me and I think I'll take them. There are:

-A genuine Nazi arm-band (yep, it's pretty crazy)
-3 or 4medals
-A belt and belt-buckle
-Paper envelopes that the medals are in with something in German on them (and the year 1939)
-A box containing another (better preserved) medal
-Some sort of black box ...thing I can't identify. It's shaped like a really small canteen, in really good condition but neither my Dad nor I can figure out what it is
-A knife in a box
-A jacket

Also, all the small stuff is in a bag that looks like it's American issue from that same time.

No fire-arms or directly stolen materials that I can tell.

I'm not sure what I'd want to do with them, but continue to think about it and research it. We decided to look at them last night closely but then put them all back up and I don't want to get them out again to look at them for fear that they'll get more damage. The only time I might take them out again is to show them to an appraiser or something like that. It'd be cool to know exactly what they all are, and what they're currently valued at. I might go around to the local Military Surplus type stores and ask them if they're experts on any of that stuff. I'm sure they'd love to see it, but again I don't want to take it out more than I have to. That arm-band and the medals ribbons are some thin fabric from 72 years ago apparently.

I guess a side related question. If I do keep these things indefinitely, or at least in the short term until I decide to put them on loan at a museum or sell them or what have you, how might I best preserve them?

Jeff Hauze · Post by **Jeff Hauze** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:06 pm

I'd donate it to a museum. If nobody wanted to take it, I'd roast it and/or melt it down. Selling it only encourages the secondary market for it, and that's not a market I want to contribute to. There's a big secondary market for it in my area (so much so that I can find faux Neo-Nazi gear in my local farmer's market), and it really disturbs me.

Then again, I live in a town that has bumper stickers on trucks that say "Pol Pot had it right. Starve those little brown people."

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:47 pm

Like I said, I'd keep it.

Pdyx · Post by **Pdyx** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:18 pm

In re-reading the thread I realized I said "knife" whereas what Bone said earlier in the thread is more correct. The "knife" is a dagger actually, and doesn't seem very practical.

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:38 pm

Can we get Pics? This stuff sounds awesome.

Also, how are you storing the stuff?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:06 pm

Holy jesus. That's probably worth rather a lot, but let's set that all aside. I would definitely store it all in a cool, dry place and not be temped to fiddle with it until it's been appraised by someone in the know; I have no idea, beyond what you've suggested, how to find the right person, and I'd be rather concerned you'd find the /wrong/ person, who'd try to bilk or short you somehow.

edit: Bah. My suggestions for storage are all commonsense and mostly ignorant. You want low oxygen and low moisture. The best recommendation I can give is to talk to the guys at Armor VCI, who should be able to tell you what kind of VCI paper and desiccant would do the job without harming the materials.

Van Der Litreb · Post by **Van Der Litreb** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:38 am

I'm with Jeff on this; get rid of that stuff. I realise my perspective is a little different, what with the German border being a hundred miles from where I live, but the Nazis really, really weren't nice people.

Iantha · Post by **Iantha** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:16 am

Christie's Auction is who I'd recommend. I spoke with them about my pochette.

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:59 pm

Van Der Litreb wrote:I'm with Jeff on this; get rid of that stuff. I realise my perspective is a little different, what with the German border being a hundred miles from where I live, but the Nazis really, really weren't nice people.

I live close to Germany as well, and a Jew on top of that, but I don't think you should "get rid of it" but donate it to a willing museum.

Crazy Elf · Post by **Crazy Elf** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:13 am

Jeff Hauze · Post by **Jeff Hauze** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:42 am

Or Elf's house. Whichever.

Crazy Elf · Post by **Crazy Elf** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:24 am

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:34 am

Van Der Litreb wrote:I'm with Jeff on this; get rid of that stuff. I realise my perspective is a little different, what with the German border being a hundred miles from where I live, but the Nazis really, really weren't nice people.

Yeah, but there's a difference between venerating these items and keeping them around for their historical value. I mean, I think the Nazis were righteous assholes(and that's an understatement), but if we toss everything that they ever made, then we lose a physical link or fetish that we can attach to that terror.

I think the musuem route is best, rather than the destruction route. I don't like history, of any sort being wantonly destroyed.

Jeff Hauze · Post by **Jeff Hauze** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:30 am

Crazy Elf wrote:

Right along with your pink, fuzzy boots, apparently. Good choice for color coordination.

Also, let's make it clear, since everybody keeps quoting Veed referencing me: I said "Museum first, then destroy rather than resell." I'd also accept "sell to a museum" as a valid answer, but only in the form of a question, Alex.

Van Der Litreb · Post by **Van Der Litreb** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 7:18 am

Uh, let me clarify: Get rid of it by donating it to a museum, preferably a small, local one.

Jeff Hauze · Post by **Jeff Hauze** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:40 pm

Van Der Litreb wrote:Uh, let me clarify: Get rid of it by donating it to a museum, preferably a small, local one.

Copy cat. I guess you want some pink fuzzy boots as well.

Crazy Elf · Post by **Crazy Elf** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:53 pm

Jeff Hauze wrote:Right along with your pink, fuzzy boots, apparently.

I'm too sexy for your criticism.

Jeff Hauze · Post by **Jeff Hauze** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:56 pm

Crazy Elf wrote:I'm too sexy for your criticism.

I'm pretty sure the boots contribute to the level of sexy. Clearly, they're at least a +5 rating.