The personal telephone of Adolf Hitler, which the Fuehrer used to dictate many of his World War II commands, sold at auction for $243,000, the United States house selling it announced. Originally a black Bakelite phone, later painted crimson and engraved with Hitler's name, the relic was found in the Nazi leader's Berlin bunker in 1945 following the regime's defeat. The auction house Alexander Historical Auctions, had estimated its worth between $200,000 and $300,000. The starting bid for the auction on Sunday was set at $100,000. The company did not reveal the winning bidder's identity. The Maryland company auctioned off more than 1,000 items including the phone and a porcelain sculpture of an Alsatian dog for $24,300. Both winners bid by telephone. More than 70 years old, the Siemens rotary telephone is embossed with a swastika and the eagle symbolic of the Third Reich. Alexander House dubbed the phonewhich Hitler received from the Wehrmacht, Nazi Germany's armed forcesas "arguably the most destructive 'weapon' of all time, which sent millions to their deaths". It said Hitler used it to give most of his orders during the last two years of World War II.
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| The Siemens rotary telephone is engraved with the Fuehrer's name and a swastika and the eagle symbol of the Third Reich [EPA] |
Russian officers gave the device to British Brigadier Sir Ralph Rayner during a tour of the bunker shortly after Germany's surrender. Rayner's son, who inherited the phone, put it up for sale, its paint now peeling to reveal the original synthetic black resin surface. Andreas Kornfeld of Alexander House told AFP news agency its estimates were based on a number of factors, including "rarity and uniqueness".