Early, signed edition of Mein Kampf and Speer's leather coat up for auction

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• published: 03 Aug 2015
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Two rare early editions of Adolph Hitler's autobiographical manifesto "Mein Kampf" could sell for more than 20-thousand US dollars at an online auction on Thursday. The rare 1925 and 1926 books were signed by Hitler. Nate Sanders, owner of Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles, knows he'll come under criticism for putting the books up for bid. Being Jewish, Sanders said he understands why people might not like the books being available to the public. "It's a horrible book. But it is a piece of history. It is a very rare item," Sanders said on Wednesday. Hitler gave the books to Josef Bauer, an early follower who participated in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich in 1923. Hitler was arrested and jailed for the attempt to seize power. He dictated "Mein Kampf", two volumes of autobiography and anti-Semitic manifesto, to Rudolf Hess while behind bars to raise money for his criminal defence. "He actually got rich off of it. He originally decided to write it so he could pay his legal bills. Because he was in jail when he wrote it, and he needed to get out," Sanders said. "But eventually he was able to buy a Mercedes-Benz even while he was still in prison." Both volumes' fly-leaves feature Hitler's signature with best wishes to his friend Bauer for the Christmas season. Sanders said volumes of "Mein Kampf" from the 1930s are common, as they were a popular wedding gift in Nazi Germany. But a copy from the 1920s, signed by the author is rare. Sanders is also auctioning off a leather trench coat he said was worn by Albert Speer, a Nazi government minister who took responsibility for the Holocaust at the Nuremberg trials and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the Nazi regime. An Allied soldier found the jacket in a German chateau and stole it, along with a necklace, as a war trophy to bring home to his parents. The soldier tells the story in a letter to his parents that he signed only "Ralph". "Here's a copy of the allied letter from a soldier to his mum and dad, saying that he went to Albert Speer's house in Germany, took the jacket, found the invoice with Albert Speer's name on it inside," said Sanders. "(He) was giving it to his mum and dad as a memento, sort of war loot." The soldier found a receipt written out to Speer in the pocket of the jacket, Sanders said. Selling Nazi memorabilia is prohibited in many European countries that saw the horrors of World War II. Sanders defended collecting historical items connected with the Nazi regime, saying most collectors are military history aficionados. "The same people that buy Adolf Hitler might also buy George Washington. They collect history. They might collect World War II, they might collect George Patton, they might collect Dwight Eisenhower," he said. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/71997ca2e9412c969f232f22fe6bc30f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork