The world may scowl in disappointment and murmur in confusion, but there are some who recently fought a digital (and financial) war for Adolf Hitler's hairbrush. Yes, the German dictator who led the Nazis and played a rather problematic role in the second World War. But if one moves past the holocaust and other assorted tragedies that he was directly linked to, Hitler's possessions are also valuable personal effects of a well known historic figure.
And so, when Australian auction house JB Military Antiques sold several items belonging to the dictator recently, there were quite a few takers. Public sentiment may have been against the entire idea, but Nazi enthusiasts shelled out thousands of dollars to own among other things, Hitler's tableware (sold for around $25,000) and his hairbrush (sold for $19,000).
According to reports, the auctioned items included a cigar box, a white metal hand held mirror, a gravy boat, a metal boot brush, a cast-iron wall plaque and a fork that is believed to have belonged to his wife (for around 40 hours) Eva Braun. Fueling the controversy around the auction, each item was emblazoned with the Nazi coat of arms his initials.
Needless to say, social media users are outraged with this turn of events, with some going as far as to call for the criminalisation of the sale of Nazi memorabilia. Others declared that Hitler himself would have been thrilled by this turn of events, the co-related implication being that morally upstanding individuals should not feel the same way.
