Lot 946

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Description:

A fine Adolf Hitler relic, a 3" x 3 1/2" x 1/2" section of red marble recovered from the dictator's office in the "Reichkanzlei" and cut, polished and fitted with a green felt pad to serve as a paperweight. The relic was taken from the remains of the "Reichskanzlei" by American journalist and diplomat Luther J. Reid, and is accompanied by his letter of provenance, in large part: "This piece of red marble is from the wall of Hitler's main office in the Reich chancellery in Berlin. I picked it out of the bombed wreckage of that building shortly after the war. the entire room which was Hitler's office was paneled in this beautiful Bavarian marble, and this particular piece came from the end of the room under which Hitler had had his bomb shelter built, and in which he is reputed to have died. All of this marble paneling, a few months after I picked out the slab of which this was part, was taken by the Russians..." The lot is further accompanied by a letter and a card from Reid's daughter Joan to Donald B. Seem, a later owner and Reid's nephew, giving a few additional background details, as well as a note signed by Seem attesting its ownership, Reid's calling card as attache to the U.S. Embassy in London, and copies of a biographical article written during Reid's life and his obituary. This latter indicates that Reid served in the U.S. Army at the rank of Lt. Colonel, worked as a war correspondent in Africa and Italy, accompanied MacArthur during the occupation of Japan, and joined the State Department in 1947. Joan Reid's letters indicate that he visited Germany in the spring of 1946, and postulate that he retrieved the marble relic at that time. The relic itself is in fine condition.

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May 1, 2019 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000