Murky trade in Nazi memorabilia has prompted calls for tighter legislation

THE sale of Nazi memorabilia is banned in a number of countries including France, Sweden, Brazil and Germany.

However, there is no specific UK law preventing the sale of Nazi memorabilia, although most major auction houses and online shopping sites have policies preventing it.

Several large UK auction houses such as Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams refuse to sell such material, although Nazi memorabilia continues to go to auction at smaller auction houses.

ebay barred users from selling items that promoted hate or violence back in 2001, with Nazi memorabilia included in the prohibition among other historical material.

There have been repeated calls by MPS for a ban on such sales. In 2012, MPS called on the UK Government to ban sales after items belonging to Holocaust victims were sold at a public auction a week after a tray presented to Hitler as a 50th birthday present fetched nearly £30,000.

A Commons motion, tabled by Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, condemned the sales as “profiteering on items promoting and glorifying hatred and violence”.

The calls were repeated by the Holocaust Educational Trust in 2019 after a Blutorden (Blood Order) Medal given to Hitler’s bodyguard fetched tens of thousands of pounds at auction.

In calling for clearer regulation, the trust said such items should be “placed in archives, museums or in an educational context” rather than be “on the market for personal profit or macabre interest”.

The Imperial War Museum in London has a number of photos of Hitler in its archive, including a signed black and white photograph that was collected as a souvenir by Major-general Lewis Lyne.