Erich Honeker-estate

[Gordon Craig]

2bfffd7f-3a8c-4f5c-9660-abdd010699fb.jpg d8925af2-c2d4-4211-9b31-abdd01069855.jpg d8982ca2-2336-4381-931d-abdd010697cd.jpg 41dcd8a9-d77b-422a-bced-abdd01069c4a.jpg 4038310a-a3c7-4341-964c-abdd0106996f.jpg Gentlemen,

Some of you will remember that a few years ago Erich Honeker's estate was put up for sale. Seems as though it is back on the market again but you certainly need deep pockets to bid. Here are a couple of the things on offer.

Regards,

Gordon

[Kuerassier]

https://www.andreas-thies.de/kataloge/68_auktion.html

[Ralph P]

It would be nice to add those to my collection.

[Jeff V]

Just curious guys, what kind of prices will these pieces bring?

[Gordon Craig]

Jeff V,

The bidding starts at 12,000 euros for the black case and, if I remember correctly, the red case starts at 9000.00 euros.

Regards,

Gordon

[Kuerassier]

If you have the money these are nice things to have. But for that money i would rather buy many uniforms of the gdr or the treaty of warsaw. Imagine how many you can get for that sum

[Jeff V]

Jeff V,

The bidding starts at 12,000 euros for the black case and, if I remember correctly, the red case starts at 9000.00 euros.

Regards,

Gordon

Thank you Gordon, a tidy sum indeed!

[markus]

Gents -

I did not win anything from the Honecker estate today.

Prices for medals with a clear provenance to "Erich" (serial no./award document) just went through the roof.

My favorite "Order of the October Revolution" went to EUR 18,000 + 25%. I couldn't justify that for a EUR 300 medal...

"Fleamarket medals" with no clear provenance went for x-fold amounts as well and were not worth it for me.
Once they leave the auction house they could be "anyone's" medals, with no tracability to Erich H.

Not my main area of collecting either, so no hard feelings.

Interesting to watch though.

Important: All sales were "subject to a favorable court ruling," since at the very last minute the Federal Republic of Germany made a claim on the Honecker estate items.
So title of ownership could not be transferred to winners yet...

Cheers,
Markus.

[Ralph P]

Markus - thanks for the update.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

the question of legal ownership of the Honecker group put by the federal government sounds really strange. In 1993, the german press published many reportages (some clip-offs, also in Thies's catalogue), about the group of orders, decorations and memorabilia of Erich Honecker and his wife Margot, being for sale, in order to raise money for the legal assistance. Then, no trace of any German Federal Authority claiming the group.

A collector, knowing that the group was for sale, simply paid what Honecker's lawyers asked for the whole, and took home the "treasure", keeping it undisturbed in his collection since 1993. In the past decades, I've had many times, the opportunity to admire and study that group, thanks to the kindness of the owner.

Now, the group appears for sale after 27 years... and the Federal Government claims it as state property...

At the end, it will be sold, but after a time/money-consuming, legal dispute... and after some prospective buyers, withdrew themselves from the sale and from... bidding, at the vendor's loss.

Re. Markus's remarks, the "flea market" pieces attributed to Honecker, shall remain surely attributed to the former boss of the DDR, if the buyer/owner shall preserve all the original auction's labels, papers and invoices, related to those pieces.

All the best,

E.L.

[Ralph P]

Elmar - thanks for the very interesting update and glad to read you had the opportunity to see the medals before they go to the new owner.

[Elmar Lang]

Let's hope the new owner won't be the German state, this resulting in a damage to the former owner, and the auction house...

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the updates on this auction. Doesn't seem that long ago that the Honecker estate came up for sale the first time. How time fliies.

Regards,

Gordon

[Elmar Lang]

Some update:

https://www.mopo.de/news/panorama/re...ecker-37007704

[Ralph P]

Elmar - thanks for the article.