“Challenging the Legality and Morality of Selling Nazi Items: An Auction Debate”

An enamel plate from the Third Reich, featuring a German consulate with an eagle and a swastika, caught the attention of a listener when it was sold at an auction in Namur. The manager of the auction house, Paul de Sauvage, explained that the plate was part of a lot of attic finds that they specialize in selling. The Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities confirmed that selling historical objects is legal as long as they are not reproductions. The law prohibits the denial, minimization, endorsement, or justification of the Nazi regime’s genocide during the Third Reich. Displaying such an object on the facade of a house might also potentially violate the law. While the sale of the plate raised moral questions, the auction house manager considered it valuable for historical research and interesting to museums and collectors. The auction house does not regularly sell such property but welcomes questions on the news.

It is an object sold at auction in Namur that caught the attention of a listener. An enamel plate of a German consulate, adorned with an eagle and the swastika, dating from the Third Reich. “This is a lot that comes from an attic” explains Paul de Sauvage, the manager of the Rops auction house. “We specialize in the sale of antiques and every month we have more than 10,000 lots sold at auction. Among these lots, coming from an attic bottom, was this enamel plaque of a German consulate from the 1940s .”
We questioned Patrick Charlier, the director of Unia on the legality of this sale. As long as they are not reproductions, there is nothing illegal in the fact of selling such historical objects confirms the Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities.

It is a historical object, the sale of this type of object is not prohibited as such, there is an interest for collectors to collect documents, pieces from the Second World War.

What is prohibited by the law on Holocaust denial is: “It is the gross minimization, endorsement, denial or justification of the genocide committed by the Nazi regime. of the Third Reich. One might then deduce a form of approval, of justification of the genocide, which does not seem to be the case.”

A recent reproduction would be more problematic, but once more, this is not the case in the context of this sale. Displaying this plaque on the facade of one’s house might also fall under the law, as was the case with the Nazi house in Keerbergen.

Beyond the legality, the moral aspect of the sale appealed to our listener. The manager of the Rops auction room, Paul de Sauvage, retains the marginal side of this kind of sale for the room, which does not make it a regular business.

Clearly, this is not our specialty, it is part of a lot, we are not used to selling this type of property

And the manager emphasizes the historical value of the object. “Our buying customers are historians, researchers, museums, passionate collectors, this object makes sense in terms of historical research. If this plate can be used for educational purposes, it is interesting, and for our customers, there is historical interest. But clearly, it is not our business to sell this type of property” insists the person in charge of the room.

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In conclusion, while the sale of an enamel plate of a German consulate from the Third Reich may raise ethical questions, it is not illegal as long as it is not a reproduction, and it has historical value. The auction room manager emphasizes that it is not their specialty, and the buyers are historians, researchers, museums, and collectors with an interest in historical research. It also should be noted that displaying such objects on the facade of a house might be prohibited by law. As always, we welcome your questions and feedback on the topic.