A new bill that would completely ban the sale or display of Nazi artifacts and make it a criminal offense is set to pass the Australian parliament this month. Australian citizens have begun to race to acquire artifacts before it does.
Antique store owners and auction house managers claim that in advance of the new law, there is a record demand for Nazi exhibits from local residents in recent weeks. The bill in its current form will not prohibit the private possession of Nazi exhibits or the transfer of such items for non-profit purposes.
The British Guardian quotes Jamey Blewitt, the owner of JB Military Antiques, which is the largest military antiques store in Western Australia. JB Antiques offers Nazi exhibits for sale and told the Guardian about the “huge demand.” “It’s like an avalanche, really. I’ve been working as a full-time antiques dealer for 14 years and I’ve never seen so many people ringing, emailing or buying from us.”
“It’s like the gas station is about to run out of gas, so everyone is filling up now. This is of course because of the bill that will soon be brought before the parliament. I think she should allow people to buy and sell the items. If people are offended by it, we can just put a sticker on the swastika.”

“People collect this stuff because they like the military, they’re interested in history, they’re not neo-Nazis. German military memorabilia is very popular, but I’ve never sold anything to a neo-Nazi,” said Blewitt.
He himself said that he offers hundreds of Nazi exhibits in the store, including uniforms of the Nazi army, helmets, medals, knives, and even a silver-plated pencil that he claims is “a birthday present that Adolf Hitler gave to his wife Eva Braun.”
Henry Fijolek, the owner of the “Henry Military Collectibles” store, also agrees that a person who purchases Nazi artifacts is not necessarily a neo-Nazi himself.
“These are collectors, it’s their passion, some of these people put their pension money into this, all their savings. Some of their collections are worth thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The neo-Nazis don’t buy these things, they buy the ones on sale. Why can’t we just regulate the issue of sale and display? All this ban will do is just force this market to go underground,” Fijolek said.