BRITAIN: It was always going to be one of Jefferys's more lively sales. The auction house in the pleasant town of Lostwithiel in Cornwall, southwest England, is more used to dealing in furniture, houses and livestock, but yesterday it was offering 21 watercolours and sketches apparently dashed off by Adolf Hitler.
Bidders from Japan, Russia, New Zealand and South Africa turned up to try to pick up a Hitler for their living room walls. Journalists and television crews were there to see who would shell out a few thousand pounds for such works.
And if the scene wasn't bizarre enough, "comedy terrorist" Aaron Barshak, who gatecrashed Prince William's 21st birthday party, briefly evaded the bouncers to get into the auction room and bid £6 million (€8.9 million) for a painting.
The paintings are said to have been discovered by an elderly Belgian woman in a battered suitcase in a loft. They depict rural landscapes on the border of Belgium and France, where Hitler was based as a young corporal in the first World War.
Last year, Jefferys sold a portrait of a Dutch postman attributed to Hitler. The Belgian woman heard about it and decided to cash in her pictures. But there has been a growing feeling the paintings, being sold as "attributed to Hitler", may be fakes. The vibrant market for Nazi memorabilia has led to counterfeit Hitler mementoes being produced.
But that did not deter bidders. Total sales were £118,000 (€176,000), more than double the estimate. The most expensive went for £10,500 (€15,670), a watercolour of the Church of Preux-au-Bois.
But who was buying is unclear.
One purchaser, who identified himself as Carlo from Estonia, said he was working for an east European businessman, whom he would not name.
"I had a budget to bid for anything that has Hitler's signature. I have something to take back," he said.
Another sketch went for £2,600, the buyer explaining: "I bought these on a whim; I hadn't intended to bid. I didn't buy them because I admire him. I bought them because they are a piece of history."