Israeli Court Freezes Sale of Tattoo Stamps Used by Nazis

The Tel Aviv District Court has frozen the auction of tattoo stamps used by Nazis to brand numbers on the arms of inmates at the Auschwitz extermination camp, most of them Jewish, in response to a lawsuit filed by a Holocaust survivor group. .

The eight original tattoo number stamps obtained from a private collector were set to be sold by the Jerusalem-based Tzolman’s Auctions.  The auction has been delayed following the court ruling on Wednesday. A hearing to determine whether the sale can go through is set for November 16. They have a projected sale value of $30,000 to $40,000. The auction house will receive a 25% commission.

Auctioneer Meir Tzolman told Reuters that the owner of the stamps is determined to sell them. He also said that he has received calls from dozens of people who want to buy them and donate them to a Holocaust museum.

One million Jews died at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and tens of thousands of others, between 1940 and 1945.