Holocaust awareness advocates are calling for a Belfast auction for Hitler’s pen to be cancelled.  

The pen was gifted to Hitler by his partner Eva Braun for his 52nd birthday in 1952. The pen, to be auctioned by Bloomfield Auctions, is expected to sell for approximately £80,000.  

Holocaust Awareness Ireland Founder Oliver Sears said the auctioneers and its director Karl Bennett previously cancelled auctions with Nazi memorabilia – and he doesn’t understand why they are holding another auction.  

“It’s rather galling that they claim, because [the pen] was a gift from Eva Braun to Hitler, it gives us a window into his psychopathology,” he told The Hard Shoulder. 

“The reality is Karl Bennett is doing this for the money.” 

Mr Sears, an Irish-based arts dealer, said the trade of Nazi memorabilia is “appalling”.  

“I'm always cautious that experts be brought in to examine the material, just in case it has very specific historical significance, but it’s usually not the case,” he said.  

“There is a very dark side because antisemitism is on the rise, it’s not over. These symbols are coopted by far-right groups.” 

“It's not just a quirky, obscene little trade – there is a much darker edge.” 

Mr Sears said in his experience, most people understand the immorality of this trade – but their main focus is to make money.  

“There should be a line where common decency kicks and it becomes taboo. It's something you don’t do,” he said. 

Holocaust remembrance

The auction is particularly concerning as we enter a period where the Holocaust is becoming “second-hand memory”.  

Mr Sears’ own mother, who survived the Holocaust, is one of the last survivors alive – and Mr Sears said now is an essential time to “pay attention to what they say”.  

“They are a unique set of people that have seen the worst side of humanity and survived it,” he said. 

He said he recently learned his great-great aunt was deported to a concentration camp at the age of 70 and gassed to death.  

“While Karl Bennett is counting his perspective winnings, I am counting my losses – not in money but in lives,” he said.  

Far-right symbols

The sale of Nazi memorabilia is not the same as British Empire and Roman artifacts, according to Mr Sears.  

“There is a clear difference,” he said. “Antisemitism is on the rise; these symbols are used by the far-right. There are people who wish I was not alive because I am Jewish.” 

Mr Sears has contacted Bloomfield Auctions, requesting the cancellation of the auction. They have yet to respond.  

A 'personally autographed' photo of Hitler is also up for auction.