Nazi Baton

Fellow appraiser Steve Minor sent me a link from a Baltimore Sun article on a Nazi baton selling at auction. Oriental fine and decorative arts and basketball rules are not the only property drawing interest and large outlays of cash.  Auctioneers Alex Cooper of Towson, MD sold the Nazi baton for $731,000.00 against a pre sale estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.

The article is short, so I will take the liberty of posting the full content.

The ornate baton of a Nazi field marshal convicted of war crimes against Italian citizens during World War II caused a sensation in Towson Saturday when it brought $731,600 at auction, far more than Alex Cooper auctioneers or the baton's owner ever expected.

The 19-inch ceremonial baton, once the property of Field Marshal Albert Kesselring of Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe, had been listed with an estimated value of between $10,000 and $15,000 by Alex Cooper before the auction. The baton was wrapped in bright blue velvet and adorned with white and yellow gold and enamel insignias and crosses.

P. Raab Christhilf of Alex Cooper said the baton drew international attention and both online and in-person bids. He declined to name the owner who had consigned the baton for auction, but a description of the item's provenance appeared on Alex Cooper's website.