# You may retrieve a lost historical artifact. What do you chose?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 21, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879 "2008-11-21T18:25:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 8
### Author:  [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/141 "2008-12-02T00:01:05Z")
Euclid’s personal copy of his _Elements_. Alternatively, I wouldn’t mind having Newton’s personal copy of his _Principia_, except that it’s not lost and is sitting at Trinity College.
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### Author:  [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/142 "2008-12-02T00:08:58Z")
Do we have to retrieve? Because I sure as heck would like to go back in time, teach myself how to draw at an earlier age, and help me overcome my crushing self-confidence issues. (Of course, this might just serve to make things worse, or cause some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, but still.)
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/143 "2008-12-02T00:13:07Z")
> [@dotchan](#):
>
> Do we have to retrieve? Because I sure as heck would like to go back in time, teach myself how to draw at an earlier age, and help me overcome my crushing self-confidence issues. (Of course, this might just serve to make things worse, or cause some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, but still.)
The self-consistency filter will frustrate you, sadly. At best you’ll fail miserably; at worst you’ll end up destroying yourself.
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/144 "2008-12-02T01:03:41Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#):
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> Nazi Germany required registration of all firearms.
>
> I daresay Adolf’s was license #1. If only for political propaganda reasons.
>
> Serial numbers would be listed.
That and the DNA from his blood that would be on it would be pretty conclusive, I’d say. (He shot himself with it, remember?)
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/145 "2008-12-02T15:08:43Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#):
>
> That and the DNA from his blood that would be on it would be pretty conclusive, I’d say. (He shot himself with it, remember?)
Have we any tissue samples we know definitely to be Hitler’s?
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/146 "2008-12-02T15:27:25Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#):
>
> That and the DNA from his blood that would be on it would be pretty conclusive, I’d say. (He shot himself with it, remember?)
What makes you certain he shot himself with “his” gun? Nothing I’ve read about Hitler indicates that he, personally, went about armed. Are there, in fact, any records showing H having a firearms license either with or without specific guns listed?
My gut feeling is that 'Dolph (who liked to think of himself as still being a soldierly type) probably just drew a weapon from the armory at the Fuhrerbunker. Lots of military dictator types have had themselves photographed with weapons or even included a holstered pistol in their “uniforms;” but I don’t recall ever seeing a photo of AH with a gun.
All of that aside, the gun Hitler used to kill himself would fetch a princely sum if you could prove provenance.
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### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/147 "2008-12-03T01:40:45Z")
On the History channel some research indicated that he both poisoned himself and shot himself (seemingly the poison allowed enough time for this to happen). It was the history channel however.
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/148 "2008-12-03T01:44:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#):
>
> Have we any tissue samples we know definitely to be Hitler’s?
That can be arranged at the same time I’m picking up the gun. 😉
Also, Hitler’s fingerprints will be on the gun, further IDing it and proving provenance.
**Scumpup** , I’ve got a number of reputable books on the last days of Hitler and they all agree Hitler was either carrying or had in his desk a Walther PPK handgun for the duration of his stay in _Der Fuhrerbunker_. So, even if it was a random PPK drawn from the Armoury, for a week at least it was Hitler’s gun. Either way, as you say, it’s worth a fortune.
Incidentally, there is a provenance-proven Walther PPK that belonged to Hitler on display in the West Point Military Museum. It’s Gold-Plated and has “A.H.” engraved on it; it’s purely a presentation piece was it has been proven to have belonged to Hitler.
And now back to your regularly scheduled thread… 🙂
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### Author:  [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-may-retrieve-a-lost-historical-artifact-what-do-you-chose/473879/149 "2008-12-03T03:16:33Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#):
>
> Have we any tissue samples we know definitely to be Hitler’s?
The Russians still have a chunk of his skull in their state archives; and you could probably check mitochondrial DNA against the bodies of Hitler family members who’d share it.
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