Gun said to have been Hitler's sells for $140,025

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A rare German gun that might have been owned by Adolf Hitler sold for $140,025 (€116,960.41) in an online auction that ended Thursday night. At least 60 bids had been put in for the weapon and its Web page was viewed more than 13,400 times. Wes Lane, owner of Midwest Exchange, the Bloomington, Illinois pawn shop that hosted the auction, said he was "ecstatic" about the final sale price. Bidding began Jan. 30 at www.gunbroker.com and stalled for days at $13,000 (€10,859) before rising as Thursday's deadline loomed. Experts say late bidding flurries are common in online auctions. The gun is worth about $7,000 (€5,846.98) without a connection to Hitler, Lane said. But he had predicted the possible Hitler link would drive up the price and speculated Thursday that the gun's value could double or triple in a few years given the publicity surrounding its sale.