A silver cigarette case presented to Hermann Goering sold for £3,107 ($3,993) in a UK auction on May 25.
The lot was given to Goering by Field Marshall Erhard Milch, a high-ranking Nazi official in charge of production for the Luftwaffe.
Erhard Milch was a high ranking Nazi who happened to be half-Jewish
Milch was half-Jewish on his father’s side.
As he joined the Nazis early on (in 1929), he was not subject to the 1935 ban on people of Jewish ancestry becoming officers.
Goering was in charge of the Luftwaffe and so Milch worked under him. This silver case was presumably an attempt to get into Goering's good books.
In 1944, Milch would side with Joseph Goebbels' attempt to oust Goering from his position. The coup failed and Milch went to work for architect Albert Speer instead.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert explained before the sale: “This is an historic museum piece that belonged to one of history's most notorious individuals and was presented to him by Milch - who would never be able to reconcile his position within the Nazi party and his own Jewish ancestry…
“While we are always mindful of those who suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime, this cigar box serves as reminder of the excesses of the high-ranking individuals and those who sought to ingratiate themselves with them.”
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