Hitler's paintings to go for auction in Shropshire

A number of paintings by Adolf Hitler, which are estimated to collectively be worth more than £145,000, are going under the hammer at a Shropshire auction at the end of the month.

The 17 pieces of work, which include watercolours of landscapes still life and a portrait, are expected to attract oa lot of interest when they are auctioned at the Mullocks sale at Ludlow Racecourse on September 30.

Many of the paintings, which are expected to fetch up to £10,000 each, date from the early decades of the 20th Century.

They were painted at a time when Hitler was a struggling artist. Several other paintings, mainly landscapes, are signed A. Hitler.

The hoard includes rural village scenes, landscapes and architecture.

In April last year buyers from around the world flocked to purchase 15 of Hitler's paintings which sold for a staggering £95,000.

This month's auction also contains plenty of other World War Two memorabilia including cutlery, a linen napkin and a china plate purportedly part of Hitler's dinner service.

A fish knife inscribed with the name Adolf Hitler will also go under the hammer. It is expected to fetch up to £1,500.

And a teaspoon believed to have belonged to Hitler's mistress, Eva Braun, will also be auctioned. The teaspoon by Bruckman possibly in German silver bears the initials E B.

Mullocks historical documents expert Richard Westwood-Brookes said: "This is believed to have been the personal property of Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress whom he married the day they both committed suicide in 1945. The monogram on the handle of this spoon conforms to those on the cutlery in the previous lot."

A knife, fork and spoon bearing the emblem of Saddam Hussein as well as French hallmarks will also be auctioned for up to £700. The set was apparently liberated from Saddam's palace in Tikrit Iraq during the recent conflict.

Mr Westwood-Brookes added: "It would be like dining out with the monsters of the 20th Century."

By Sophie Bignall