1939 Adolf Hitler's birthday invitation card – Gauleiter Klausner's widow

[caracciola]

Dear Friends,

Here is an invitation card with its envelope from Adolf Hitler to Frau Heli Klausner.

Hubert Klausner was an SS Oberführer and Gauleiter of Gau Kärnten in Austria. He died on 12 February 1939.

May I have your opinion ? Should be original but we never knows. Concerning the signature, is it hand-signed or just a facsimile ?

Thanks for your comments.

C.

[der-hase-fee]

It is a thank you card, not an invitation. In 1939, when Hitler turned 50, there were probably hundreds of these mailed. Only very few, if any, were ink signed.

[Br. James]

This appears to be a standard, printed, thank-you card from Hitler to the near-countless people who sent him birthday greetings and gifts in 1939. The card is intentionally undated so that it could be sent to anyone who provided greetings to him, regardless of when that occurred. I assume that the 'signature' on this card was also printed, making it available to his secretaries to send out at any appropriate time.

That said, this is certainly a collectible artifact, given the notable person to whom it was addressed.

Br. James

[sjl]

It may also be an ink autopen signature (mechanical signing device).

[Br. James]

"It may also be an ink autopen signature (mechanical signing device)."

Hi Stephen,

I recall reading in a note here on WAF a while back that Hitler never used the autopen signing device, that his signature was either original on a document, or printed. Wish I could remember where that information originated...

Cheers, and Happy Easter,

Br. James

[sjl]

I think you mean this thread (which you contributed to): https://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/for...d.php?t=887500

Autopens became common in the 1930s. I don't think anyone has proven authoritatively one way or the other about Hitler's use, but it makes perfect sense that he would use one for routine and large volume things like greetings and Urkunde. Hitler was all about the cult of personality and making people (many, many people) feel that he was personally connected to them. A "personal" signature supported this myth when there was no way he could have signed all the things out there with his signature.

I see a slight smear on this signature at the tail end of "Hitler", indicating ink (not a stamp or print), but as mentioned above, he probably sent out thousands of thank you notes for his birthday and Christmas (maybe 10s of thousands). An autopen uses ink (or ballpoint or felt tip now). Autopen signatures are also identical, something humans can't do freehand. I recall someone once did a study of Hitler signatures and found a large number of these types of documents were signed in ink but identical.

If this was personally signed I would expect to see some other ink personalization in the greeting or date.

[caracciola]

1939 Adolf Hitler's birthday thank you card – Gauleiter Klausner's widow

Dear Friends,

Thanks a lot for your interesting comments.

Below is a better photo of the signature; printed or no ?

As SJL writes : "If this was personally signed I would expect to see some other ink personalization in the greeting or date."

But I have read that even Hitler showed up at Klausner's state funeral.

So, may we imagine that he signed himself more or less common such documents as a kind of tribute ?

C.

[GHP]

What do you think?

[DooseHoward]

What do you think?

I think these are interesting parts of this signature, however, wouldn't similar characteristic (inky appearance, small differences in pressure) be found in a stamped signature as well? I would guess that a stamped signature with incorrectly applied pressure (more pressure on the left side) could result in the much darker left side with some missing ink on the right (as seen here). This however doesn't account for the overlap on the "H", but I'm not even positive I see that fully. Definitely not talking as an authority, just a hypothesis.