RD837.)AH SIGNED 1943 DOCUMENT: a spectacular piece of forgery by the master 3rd Rch forger Konrad Kojau. The document itself, which is a watercolor print on high quality 13x20" paper stock and shows helmeted German army soldier with massive Wehrmacht eagle and oak leaves. Note that this award document is original period (it was never filled out) and has German printer noted at the lower right corner 'Dehmigse & Riemschneider, Neuruppin'. Inscription is forged entirely in AH's hand showing his distinctive, scrawling, script -- almost illegible as it should be. Kojau the forger spent years perfecting AH's script writing along with his distinctive signature. So, this document was forged and sold as an original AH. Note that the last notation is a AH's headquarters 'Furherhauptquartier 15.Okt. 1943'. Note just how superb Kojau's forged AH signature is. Originally, way back in the early 1980's this document sold for a small fortune. Highly collectible document being what it is! This will have to be shipped flat in a fairly large box to prevent from being damaged (folded) so it'll cost a few extra $'s to ship it. EXC++++
- The Hoax: Kujau sold the diaries to Gerd Heidemann, a reporter for the German magazine Stern. Stern paid millions of dollars for the documents and sold syndication rights to publications worldwide, including Newsweek and the Sunday Times of London.
- The Exposure: Shortly after Stern began publishing excerpts in 1983, federal investigators and historians exposed the diaries as fakes due to glaring historical inaccuracies and the use of modern materials.
- The Aftermath: Kujau and Heidemann were arrested and tried. Kujau was convicted of fraud and document forgery in 1985 and served time in prison.
- Later Life: After his release, Kujau capitalized on his notoriety. He became a media celebrity, ran a restaurant, and made a living openly selling his own art and signed "genuine Kujau fakes"
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SOLD
RD837.)AH SIGNED 1943 DOCUMENT
- Item No: RD837