Hitler's pencil to fetch over $85,000 at auction

Belfast: A pencil gifted to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler by his long-term partner Eva Braun is going to be auctioned in June. It is expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000 ($85745).

The silver plated pencil is inscribed with "Eva" in German and the initials "AH". She gave it to him on his 52nd birthday in 1941.

"The importance of Hitler’s engraved personal pencil lies in the fact that it helps to unravel a hidden piece of history, giving a unique insight into Hitler’s personal relationships, which he scrupulously kept hidden from the public eye," said Karl Bennett, managing director of the auction house.

"Much of Hitler’s personal appeal during his dictatorship derived from his carefully constructed identity as the father of the German nation, who rejected personal connection in favour of loyalty to his country. This love token of a personalised pencil from Eva on his birthday helps reveal the deception behind Hitler’s public facade," he added.

The collector further said that he understands why people may have reservations about selling and collecting items that once belonged to the dictator. "But for me, as a high-end collector of militaria items, they preserve a piece of our past and should be treated as historical objects, no matter if the history they refer to was one of the darkest and most controversial in recorded history."

He added that careful research and discussion were conducted with the item vendor to confirm where the item was obtained. "It gave me confidence that I am selling the actual item." In 2002, the pencil was bought by a collector at an auction.

The upcoming sale at Bloomfield Auctions on June 6 will also see an original signed photograph of Hitler and a rare handwritten pardon by Queen Victoria for Irish rebels convicted of treason.