A roll of toilet paper issued to Nazi troops during the second World War is to go under the hammer in an auction of historical memorabilia in Dublin later this month.
The “unopened roll of Edelweiss brand Klosettpapier (toilet paper)” was described by Whyte’s auctioneers as a “wartime luxury” and “still intact in its original printed wrapper” – as issued to the Wehrmacht, the defence forces of the German Third Reich.
The auction house pointed out, rather unnecessarily, that the roll “is in remarkable unused condition” and has been assigned an estimated value of between €80 and €120.
Toilet paper in 1940s Germany was reputedly scratchy and, according to historical anecdote, some Germans preferred to use, instead, the softer paper of the Nazi newspaper, Völkischer Beobachter.
Edelweiss, the name of an alpine flower, also inspired a marching song Es war ein Edelweiss, popular with German troops during the war. Auctioneer Stuart Purcell, head of the historical collectibles department at Whyte's, said the toilet roll was part of a large collection of Nazi militaria, owned by an unnamed private Dublin collector.
The collector, he said, had acquired the items by buying from dealers and at auction “mostly in the UK”. The collection, to be sold in 165 separate lots, “focuses largely on the uniform and equipment of the average foot soldier”.
It is believed to be the biggest collection of Nazi-era militaria ever assembled in Ireland. Among other lots in the auction are a Hitler Youth knife, with a blade inscribed "Blud und Ehre!" (blood and honour), in a black metal scabbard that has a top estimate of €200; and a Wehrmacht raincoat valued at up to €600. The auction will take place in Whyte's gallery, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, on September 17th.
