David Cheney's extensive collection of German WW2 and Holocaust memorabilia is coming up for sale at The Cobb's auction house in New Hampshire.
Cheney became interested in the Holocaust at a young age as the result of a reluctance to discuss the subject at school. Like some Russian collectors, he was particularly interested in material which had been captured during the defeat of the Nazi regime.
Cobb's is offering Cheney's collection in two separate sections, though on the same day. The first contains a wide variety of items including medals, documents and general memorabilia. But the second concentrates firmly on the collectible firearms.
 Walther PP SA handgun |
Two lots stand out: A handgun marked as originally from a member of the SA (stormtroopers who were important during Hitler's rise to power, though disbanded and irrelevant by the time WW2 broke out).
The front of grip strap is stamped "SA der NSDAP Gruppe Hansa" (NSDAP being the National Socialist German Workers' Party, now better known as Nazi). The gun comes with its original, barely worn holster, 99% of its bluing intact and its grips and magazine finger support in excellent condition.
Also in the sale is a Walther K43 semi-automatic sniper rifle mounted with a ZF-4 scope, scope mount, sling and two 'aye' marked magazines. Aside from slight wear to the trigger bluing, the rifle is in excellent condition and all its serial numbers match.
 Walther K43 sniper rifle |
The handgun is expected to sell for $4,000-6,000, whilst the sniper rifle is estimated at $4,000-5,000 in the sale, which takes place next week in the afternoon of March 13.
Collectors of rare WW2 memorabilia may be interested to know that a document signed by Hitler personally is currently available. On the other hand, those more comfortable with material from the winning side might be interested in a signed photo of Winston Churchill, or a letter written by General Patton.
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Image: Cobb's Auctioneers
