Boston's RR Auctions is offering a sale of over 170 World War II autographs and artifacts, live through June 11. Highlights include a German Enigma I Cipher Machine (estimated at over $200,000), a Navy ensign flag that flew on D-Day, and a letter of surrender signed by Reich President Karl Dönitz on May 6, 1945 (estimated at over $100,000). The sale also features handwritten drafts of radiotelegrams from Colonel General Alfred Jodl and a mimeograph copy of General Dwight D. Eisenhower's victory announcement, signed by him as a souvenir.
This auction matters because it offers rare, historically significant documents and artifacts from the final days of World War II, including items tied directly to the German surrender negotiations. The high estimates and the presence of an Enigma machine—following a record sale at Christie's last year—underscore the enduring market for WWII memorabilia and the intersection of military history with the collectibles market.