Interesting Concentration camp I.D. lot

[reidii]

Just thought I would post this. I came across this on Craigslist of all places and the guy was selling these really cheap once I talked to him. I felt kind of bad as they were his parents items, but he needed money and he'd sell it someone else if not me. Just wondering, I don't see these often and are these quite rare? I've seen on some sites where just a picture or I.D. is on sale of 400.00 or more. I have a guy offering me 550.00 for the lot, but I am really in no need of that and I would think these would be worth more? Again, it depends on a buyer and the sentimental value for some people. But there really is no "book" or price guide to gauge a value on items such as these. So I guess I am asking - something like this would be quite rare and valuable? Thank you

[CARL]

I found this interesting old thread earlier, and was a little surprised that no comments have been posted over the time it has been up on the forum. Anyway, for anybody interested...

Paperwork related to prisoners, such as the examples shown above, can be quite rare. However, they are not always worth vast amounts of money due to the fact that so many thousands of people were liberated from the camps throughout the latter stages of the war. Many of these former prisoners were given documentation to assist them on their journey home, such as repatriation cards etc. Regarding value, whilst no price guide such as with EKII's for example is available, the collector will generally have his or her own idea on how much they are willing to pay in order to add the piece to their collection. The preservation of KL and ghetto related items is indeed, very important. That so many museums hold them within their vaults away from public view, is somewhat unfortunate. Personally, I believe that we should appreciate those among us who are willing to display and share these pieces, as despite their connection to the darkest chapter in modern history, they remain historically, very important.

Regards,

Carl

[Wagriff]

The lad looks pretty well fed and husky for having spent over 2 years in Dachau....a collaborator, perhaps?

[StefanM]

He may simply have been assigned work in a function that enabled him to have access to more food.Polish cavalry officer Witold Pilecki who was the only man to volunteer to become a prisoner in Auschwitz so he could organise a resistance organisation in the camp relates how in one of the later prisoner line- ups a German doctor was surprised that some of the Polish prisoners looked so healthy (even though like Pilecki they had been in the camp for over two years). This was because Pilecki's resistance organisation was eventually in control of many of the important functions at Auschwitz I and could smuggle or barter with the German guards for more food than some of the other prisoners. By wresting control of Auschwitz I away from the mainly German Kapos, Pilecki's camp-wide resistance organisation was able to keep themselves alive. So it wasn't always a question of collaboration. Pilecki's remarkable story is told in The Auschwitz Volunteer.

[StefanM]

An ID card and camp number patches for former Polish "political" prisoner no. 47568 (in 1943) at KL Ravensbrück concentration camp. Teresa Breuerowa was incarcerated 18 May 1943. You can see the number patch being worn by Teresa in her ID card photo.




My Polish grandmother was KL Ravensbrück prisoner no. 5953 (a kindergarten teacher deported from Warsaw in April 1941) more than 40,000 prisoners earlier than Teresa Breuerowa—40,000 more prisoners in two years—quite staggering really! In October 1944 my grandmother was transferred to KL Sachsenhausen and then to Arbeitslager Genthin to work in Silva Metallwerke G.m.b.H ammunition plant. Researched from the Ravensbrück museum archives and at USHMM.

Only 60% of the KL Ravensbrück prisoner records survive today as many were destroyed by the SS in April 1945.

[CARL]

A fine historical grouping, thank you for sharing 4thskorpion. Items such as these must never be forgotten, and should be shown whenever possible.

Regards,

Carl

[StefanM]

A fine historical grouping, thank you for sharing 4thskorpion. Items such as these must never be forgotten, and should be shown whenever possible.

Regards,

Carl

Thank you

Sadly there are so many faked camp patches, armbands and even the postwar IDs these days so I no longer look for them.

[CARL]

Sad but true. It is an area that the counterfeiters have latched onto, with an increasingly alarming amount of items appearing on a regular basis. Originals are indeed difficult to come by.

Regards,

Carl

[StefanM]

This is a German political prisoners patch in a file of VVN and denazification papers I have.

[StefanM]

Sad but true. It is an area that the counterfeiters have latched onto, with an increasingly alarming amount of items appearing on a regular basis. Originals are indeed difficult to come by.

Regards,

Carl

Much of the demand is driven by all the Holocaust museums that have sprung up everywhere with new ones opening all the time for example there are 27 such museums in Los Angeles alone! Plus all the academic institutions that "need" educational collections... classic supply and demand.