Hitler and Hess Autographs

[JamesT]

Good day folks

Below are two signatures. Adolf Hitler and Hess

The Hitler one comes with pretty good provenance. On the front page of a copy of Mein Kamph given by Hitler to a British journalist, Peter Cadogan (1918-1962), on a visit to Munich in 1937 during a meeting with Hitler arranged by Unity Mitford.

The second is in a copy of Hess's book Reden. I believe Dietrich Klagges was Ministerpräsident of Braunschweig. He joined the NSDAP in 1925. He was also a speech writer so presumably could have helped Hess write some of the speeches in his book. Hess refers to him as Minen Alten Kampfgenosse, my old comrade in arms so they must have known each other.

What do you think?

James

[Br. James]

Hi JamesT,

Both signatures look fine to me...though I am NOT an authority on such things! As you said, Dietrich Klagges was Minister President of Brunswick from 1933-45 and was an SS-Gruppenführer; he was an educated man -- a professional school teacher -- an Ortsgruppenleiter and active in writing and publishing Nazi propaganda during the Kämpfzeit, so it is certainly possible that he would have happily assisted Rudolf Hess in the area of speech-writing.

Br. James

[max history]

Hi JamesT,

Both signatures look fine to me...though I am NOT an authority on such things! As you said, Dietrich Klagges was Minister President of Brunswick from 1933-45 and was an SS-Gruppenführer; he was an educated man -- a professional school teacher -- an Ortsgruppenleiter and active in writing and publishing Nazi propaganda during the Kämpfzeit, so it is certainly possible that he would have happily assisted Rudolf Hess in the area of speech-writing.

Br. James

Actually, Dietrich Klagges was a SS-Obergruppenführer. I doubt that he would have assisted Hess with speech writing though. Hess was a very capable speaker and had sufficient people on his own staff to help write his speeches. In the early days, Hess wrote his own speeches, as was the custom.
Two superb examples of genuine signatures, by the way.
Max.

[JamesT]

I wonder what a copy of Mein Kamph with an original A Hitler signature is worth?

And the Hess book with the dedication to Dietrich Klaggs what would it be worth? The book is beautifully bound in red leather like material.

Thanks for the comments so far

[frankandfrank]

I saw a fantastic signature in "Mein Kampf " from September 1925 in private collection . Perhaps first signed "Mein Kampf" worldwide !!

[JamesT]

Now that I know these signatures are correct here are a few more pictures of the books

A regular edition of Mein Kamph

[JamesT]

A very nicely bound edition of Hess's book in sleeve.

Interestingly the signature is for Christmas 1937 yet the book is dated 1938 so an advance copy that Hess must have given out to several of his Alten Kampfgenosse.

[Br. James]

I was not familiar with the book "Reden" by Rudolf Hess so I looked it up through a rare book dealer and found that this is quite a special edition -- fully bound in leather with the slipcover. FYI I found examples of this title in the range of US$1,700.00 to US$1,900.00 -- WITHOUT Hess' autograph, dedication and date! Quite a unique and fine addition to any political library.

So too with an author-autographed copy of "Mein Kampf," though it would probably not be equal in value to the Hess volume.

Br. James