Auctioneer defends selling Nazi artefacts at sale in Glasgow
A Scottish auction house has defended selling Nazi memorabilia in a military auction.A collection put together by McTear's included swastika bunting, a "Third Reich" military medal and an SS dagger.The Nazi items fetched more than £1,600 at a sale in Glasgow. McTear's said the items provided a link to an important period in history and insisted they had been "handled with sensitivity".
Listed as "Scotland's only auction dedicated to military history", the sale was introduced on the McTear's website as a "piper's delight" because it included historic bagpipes, as well as artefacts from "Anglo-English" history.Of the 62 items on sale, 11 were listed as "Third Reich" artefacts.The Nazi items included a Luftwaffe dress dagger, which sold for £220, and an "SS-type" dress dagger, which did not sell.An Iron Cross military medal, which came with a swastika pin badge, sold for £300, while Swastika bunting was bought for £50.The collection also included four silver plates, emblazoned with the Nazi eagle, said to have been taken from Herman Göring's personal train dining carriage. Two of the plates were auctioned for £500 each.
Göring, the Luftwaffe chief and high-ranking Nazi, killed himself in 1946 the day before he was due to be hanged for war crimes and crimes against humanity.A £1 Nazi "propaganda note", a Hitler Youth book and a "bandit-warfare" badge were also included in the collection. The note and book sold for a combined £65, while the badge was not purchased.Second World War Japanese naval binoculars were also auctioned for £1,300, while a war-era Japanese sword went for £360.A Japanese flag, which McTear's said was possibly a "Kamikaze flag", went for £60.
'Handled with sensitivity'
A McTear's spokesperson said: "As the only auctioneer in Scotland to run dedicated sales of historic militaria, McTear's has frequently consigned important artefacts from both world wars. "On occasion, our auctions, like many others across the world, include items related to the Third Reich, which are always handled with sensitivity. "It is important to note that these historical artefacts provide a tangible link to an important - albeit extremely dark - era in our history that should never be forgotten."McTear's, based in Glasgow, was founded in 1842 and describes itself as Scotland's "favourite auction house".
It is not illegal to sell Nazi memorabilia in the UK, but such auctions have been heavily criticised. In 2019, a Belfast auction house has cancelled the planned sale of Nazi memorabilia after a Jewish community leader described the planned sale as "sick".
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