Craig Gottlieb

Craig Gottlieb portrait

Craig Gottlieb, (born in 1971) is a military antique dealer, writer and lecturer. Born in Miami, Florida, he is best known for uncovering Adolf Hitler's desk set used to sign the 1938 Munich Pact.

Personal life

Of Jewish ancestry, Gottlieb, whose father was a veteran of the Pacific Theater in WWII, started collecting coins as a six-year-old boy. He earned a degree in Philosophy from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and served as a commissioned officer (Major) in the Marine Corps. After several collector websites he started succeeded in the 1990s, Gottlieb grew from an obscure private collector to a leader in the militaria field.^[1] He currently lives in San Diego, California.

Military Antiques Dealer

Gottlieb travels the world to pursue rare and historic artifacts. His expertise is regularly called upon to authenticate and appraise on behalf of museums, private collections and auctions^{[citation needed]}. He operates one of the largest volume military antique dealerships ^[2] in the world from his offices in Solana Beach, and launched CGM Auctions in 2011 after leaving the now-defunct Empire Military Auctions, citing creative differences^{[citation needed]}.

Famous Historic Artifacts Discovered by Gottlieb

In 2010, Gottlieb discovered the desk set used by Adolf Hitler to sign the Munich Pact of 1938. Procured from Hitler's Munich office by 2nd Lieutenant Jack McConn in 1945, it had been with their family ever since.^[3][4] He recently sold a pair paintings of Hitler's mother and father. Lost since the end of the war, Gottlieb discovered them in Southern California, in the hands of the family whose relative liberated them from Hitler's Berghof.^[5] Responding to criticism that he is a war profiteer capitalizing on the Nazis and the Holocaust, Gottlieb reminds critics that he is preserving history and making money for veterans who served their country. ^[6]

Media

Gottlieb has authored two books: The SS Totenkopf Ring: An Illustrated History from Munich to Nuremberg^[7] and History's Jackpot: Investing in Antique Collectibles.^[8] He has been featured in newspapers world-wide, appeared on Fox,^[9] NBC, and other news outlets. His third book on the political structure of the NSDAP's system of Governing after the Gleichschaltung, is due out in 2012.

References

1. ^ http://www.bluerail.net/engine/inspect.asp?Item=340&Filter=Domains
2. ^ http://www.bluerail.net/engine/results.asp?Category=All&Filter=Domains
3. ^ http://www.delmartimes.net/2011/02/16/solana-beach-hitler-desk-set-temporarily-on-display-at-collector%E2%80%99s-office
4. ^ http://www.editinternational.com/print.php?id=4d5a7a1613c87
5. ^ http://articles.ocregister.com/2011-08-03/news/29852144_1_portraits-paintings-auctioning
6. ^ http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-hitlers-desk-set,0,5231358.story
7. ^ http://www.amazon.com/SS-Totenkopf-Ring-Illustrated-Nuremberg/dp/0764330942
8. ^ http://www.historysjackpot.com/
9. ^ http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-hitlers-desk-set,0,5231358.story

External links

• Craig Gottlieb Militaria
• Craig Gottlieb Militaria Auctions
• The Munich Pact Desk Set
• German Daggers Dot Com