A red telephone once owned by Adolf Hitler was sold for $243,000 at an auction, according to the US house that sold it. The old telephone contains a Nazi party symbol and the name of the infamous Fuhrer engraved on the back. The phone was originally found in 1945 by occupying Russian officers in one of Hitler's bunkers after Germany's defeat in World War 2. It was later given to Sir Ralph Rayner by the Russian officers.
The antique was originally a black Bakelite phone that was later painted red and engraved with the Nazi leader's name. According to a report by the Business Standard, Alexander Historical Auction - the auction house that sold the item - had estimated its value to be worth between $200,000 and $300,000. The starting bid for the phone was at $100,000. Per auction house rules, the name of the winning bidder was not disclosed.
More than a thousand items were auctioned off by the Maryland company, including the aforementioned Adolf Hitler phone and an Alsatian dog sculpture that sold for $24,300. The phone is more than 70 years old and is designed with the Nazi swastika and eagle, both symbols that were used by the Third Reich during World War 2.
The phone has been dubbed by Alexander Historical Auction as arguably "the most destructive 'weapon' of all time, which sent millions to their deaths." It is said that Hitler used this phone to carry out orders during the final two years of the Second World War.
Sir Rayner's son inherited the phone and put it up for sale. Its red paint has already started to chip and peel away revealing the original black surface of the device. In an interview with AFP, Andreas Kornfield of Alexander House the pricing estimates of such items are based on several different factors, including "rarity and uniqueness."
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