Auction of 200 Billion Won-Scale 'Nazi Collaborator Jewels' to Be Released

The jewelry heirlooms of Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten are going up for auction. The total value is estimated at $150 million (approximately 201.1 billion KRW), potentially setting a new record for the highest-value heirloom sale.

According to AFP, 700 pieces of jewelry from Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten's collection will be gradually put on the market starting in May. The collection includes world-renowned brands such as Cartier, Bulgari, and Van Cleef & Arpels, featuring a Cartier ruby and diamond ring weighing 25.59 carats.

Bvlgari ring listed for auction

The expected transaction price is about $150 million (approximately 201.1 billion KRW), which could surpass the jewelry sale price of American actress Elizabeth Taylor at the 2011 Christie's auction. At that time, the auction price was $154.2 million.

Heidi Horten passed away last year at the age of 81. At the time, her fortune was $2.9 billion (approximately 3.9 trillion KRW). Her husband was German businessman Helmut Horten (1909?1987), who was accused of collaborating with the Nazis by acquiring factories left behind by Jews under Nazi persecution and building his wealth.

Helmut, a Nazi party member, acquired a textile factory in Duisburg in 1936, three years after Hitler's regime came to power in Germany, and accumulated wealth by taking over Jewish-owned department stores. After the Nazi defeat, he was expelled from Germany and died in Switzerland in 1987. At that time, his wife Heidi inherited about $1 billion (approximately 1.341 trillion KRW).

The proceeds from this auction will go to the Heidi Horten Foundation, established in 2021. The foundation aims to manage art collections, conduct medical research, and support child welfare.

Among the items, 400 pieces will be auctioned in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 10 to 12, and the rest will be offered online in May and November, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.