During my book research and regular collecting hobby I have come across various genres of ephemera (postcards, periodicals, propaganda leaflets, etc) and added them to my collection. I have always been drawn to these items as a glimpse into life on the homefront of all belligerent countries. To make a long story short, recently I have had to study various Jewish refugee and worker documents. I do not purchase these items but read digitized copies. Which lead me to thinking. I jumped on Ebay and other such sites out of curiosity and encountered numerous items for sale regarding the Holocaust. Some of them so graphic that I can't imagine people collecting them for personal use. Maybe I am naive for I knew these items have existed, but the sale of them is rampant. Since I respect the knowledge and opinion of the rogues here, I was wondering your thoughts?
One of the most 'peculiar' things I've seen on sale at shows: An 'SS Marked Concentration Camp Trolley'... Well... The Zyklon B label was possibly more 'peculiar' My thoughts? There's nowt so queer as folk. Collect what you want within the law, and as long as you don't start filling any mass graves I reserve the right to laugh, sneer, point & maybe even raise an eyebrow in return.
In my view, anything saved in a collection is a reminder not to forget. It's not my cup of tea but I think the more disturbing the image or document, the more value it has as a historical footnote. Let's not allow political correctness or mere politeness erase the reality of what happened.
Most of the stuff for sale is bogus anyway. See how the sellers spells "Fünfzig" for a start. As if there was a special train station for the SS which would not even mention a name.. Without any evidence that trolley is worth nothing.
Of course, and we are fully aware how easy it is to whistle up such a connection. The more interesting question is; why? I've sat and watched much of this stuff sell (I used to love just sitting smoking and watching the collectors of stuff do their thing), and it sells to a wide range. I'd doubt any of them fits a perfect stereotype, but grimness sells. Appeals even. You say 'worthless', Skip. It's an odd thing how a solid provenance associating a really mundane item with genuine nastiness could make it potentially valuable. I've no problem with it at all. Within the law etc., but it is fascinating.
That is my understanding, most of the "Holocaust artifacts" are bogus. Money, pure and simple. Lots of (cough)genuine(cough) Holocaust artifacts command high prices from collectors because they are "supposedly" rare. However, for being claimed as rare, they turn up quite often.
Cash is a given, quite obviously, but the thing that drives that market is perhaps more interesting than the market itself.
It is a strange phenomenon. Perhaps it's the story behind a potential artifact. That's what lead me to ponder such a strange hobby. The darker the piece the darker the story, the more ,for some, valuable the item. Sickening if you ask me.