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830203

Heinrich Himmler

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Heinrich Luitpold Himmler, 1900-1945.  Nazi Reichsführer-SS; Chief of the German Police; Minister of Interior, 1943-1945.  Personal calling card, imprinted "Heinrich Himmler / Reichsführer SS" and signed Herzlich Ihr / H. Himmler, May 24, 1944.

Himmler's calling cards are among the rarer of his artifacts.  Documents that he signed are plentiful, but these are not.

With this one, Himmler sends birthday greetings, which are typed in German on the reverse side of the card. In English he says:  “With my best good luck wishes on your birthday / Sincerely yours  / H. Himmler."

Himmler headed the Nazi Protective Squadron, the Schutzstaffel or SS.  Originally the party's paramilitary unit, the SS was considered an elite unit whose members were selected for their racial and ideological backgrounds.  Among its several branches were the Security Service, the Sicherheitsdienst or SD, which was the SS and later the Nazi party intelligence agency, and the Secret State Police, the Geheime Staatspolizei or Gestapo.  The SD was charged with obtaining secret information about the actual and potential enemies of the Nazi leadership so that the Nazis could take appropriate action to destroy or neutralize opposition, and the Gestapo similarly targeted those thought not to be fully committed to the Nazi way of life or those who pursued "non-German" activities.  The SD and the Gestapo were linked together in 1936.

This card is in fine condition, with minor soiling and slight brushing to the first letter of the inscription.  Himmler has signed with a beautiful signature in blue fountain pen.   

While we reject Nazism, we offered this piece because of the substantial role that the German Third Reich played in 20th Century history.

Unframed.

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