WWII Enigma cipher machine sells for EUR 45,000 at Bucharest auction

An Enigma I cipher machine, which the German Army (Wehrmacht) used during the World War II, sold for EUR 45,000 at an Artmark auction in Bucharest, on July 11. The auction started at EUR 9,000. Apparently, this was a very good deal for a collector who bought the 1941 Heimsoeth & Rinke Enigma I machine for only EUR 100 at a flea market, reports local News.ro. A hunting weapon that belonged to the late Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu sold for EUR 32,500 at the same auction. The weapon had a starting price of EUR 12,000. The Holland & Holland hunting rifle, which was made in 1933 at the command of the head of the Royal Legation of Romania in Tirana for King Carol II, and then confiscated and modified for Nicolae Ceausescu, who was a passionate hunter. The rifle has decorative elements made of 18K gold, and bears the inscription “Holland & Holland.” There is also a metallic element engraved with the signature “N. Ceausescu.” Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Artmark.ro)