A rare Second World War-era English version of Hitler's Mein Kampf is coming to auction in the UK on November 17.
The copy of the Nazi leader's autobiography bears the stamp of the Stalag 357 Prisoner of War camp, a unique feature for a copy of Mein Kampf.
It is thought that the copy was employed by the Nazis in an attempt to sway the minds of PoWs at the German camp.
The copy is one of only two known to have been produced by the publisher, further enhancing its likely popularity among historians and book collectors.
As such, we believe the estimate of £1,000 to £1,500 put forward by Mullock's auction house is on the low side.
First editions of Hitler's Mein Kampf regularly sell for four figure sums due to their scarcity, which makes them particularly appealing to collectors, as rarity promotes demand.
Just 500 copies were produced in the first run of 1925.
A special presentation-version of the first-edition, signed by Hitler, achieved £18,000 at Mullock's in April 2011. Just 20 presentation-editions were made.
|
English translations were first circulated in the early 1930's and the UK's Times newspaper even published extracts in 1933.
Publication of the book has been banned in Germany since the end of the war in 1945, although an annotated version of the text for use in educational establishments is expected to appear in 2015.
Second world war memorabilia collectors may also be interested in a letter, written and signed by Winston Churchill, which we have currently in stock.