Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Few artifacts can claim such a direct connection to one of the most important judicial proceedings in world history. This is an original autograph from the remarkable Daniel Roman Nuremberg Collection, an archive of 118 signatures assembled during the immediate aftermath of World War II by an American soldier who served as a guard at the Nuremberg Prison while many of the Third Reich's most notorious figures awaited trial, testimony, sentencing, or execution.

This is a signed paper bearing the autograph of Baldur von Schirach (1907–1974), the German political official who served as Reich Youth Leader (Reichsjugendführer) from 1931 to 1940 and later as Gauleiter and Reich Governor of Vienna until 1945. The paper measures approximately 5 ¼” x 4” (13.3 x 10.2 cm) and bears his large handwritten signature in dark ink, with his name typewritten beneath as VON SCHIRACH BALDUR.

This signature is part of the collection featured in the IMA series The Cache with Alex Cranmer, giving it an additional modern history alongside its considerable German WWII and Nuremberg Trials collector appeal.

Baldur von Schirach was a prominent figure in the Third Reich, whose political career was closely connected with the organization and ideological education of German youth. Born in Berlin in 1907, he joined the NSDAP in 1925 and became leader of the National Socialist German Students' League in 1929. In October 1931, he was appointed Reichsjugendführer, placing him in charge of the Party's youth organizations, including the HJ (H Youth). Following the establishment of the Third Reich in 1933, he became Youth Leader of the German Reich, gaining increasing authority over youth education and political training.

Under Schirach's leadership, the HJ expanded into a nationwide institution responsible for the ideological indoctrination, physical training, and mobilization of German youth. Independent youth organizations were systematically dissolved or absorbed as the government sought to consolidate youth activities under Party control. The HJ Law of December 1, 1936, formally established the organization's authority over German youth, while implementing regulations introduced in March 1939 made membership compulsory for eligible young Germans. By the outbreak of WWII, the organization had become an important instrument of the regime's political and social policies.

In August 1940, Schirach was succeeded as Reich Youth Leader by Artur Axmann and appointed Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of Vienna, positions he retained until Germany's defeat in 1945. During his administration, he played a significant role in the persecution and deportation of Vienna's Jewish population. Beginning in 1941, tens of thousands of Jewish residents were deported from Vienna to ghettos and camps in German-occupied Eastern Europe. Schirach supported these measures and publicly advocated the removal of the city's remaining Jewish population.

Following Germany's defeat in May 1945, Schirach was taken into Allied custody and subsequently brought before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, where he stood trial alongside other leading political and military figures of the Third Reich. The proceedings, held between November 1945 and October 1946, examined the responsibility of senior German officials for aggressive war and crimes committed under the regime.

Schirach was indicted on Counts One and Four: conspiracy to commit crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. During the proceedings, he acknowledged his responsibility for the political education of German youth under AH, although he disputed his personal responsibility for the deportations carried out during his administration in Vienna.

On October 1, 1946, the Tribunal found him guilty on Count Four: crimes against humanity, principally for his involvement in the deportation of Vienna's Jewish population. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, which he served at Spandau Prison in West Berlin. Released on September 30, 1966, after completing his sentence, Schirach published his memoirs, Ich glaubte an H (I Believed in H), in 1967. He died on August 8, 1974, at the age of 67.

The collection was assembled by Daniel Roman, a member of Company D, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, who was stationed in Nuremberg during the historic trials. According to a recently notarized affidavit signed by his daughter, Roman frequently spoke of his experiences guarding detained Third Reich officials and other individuals connected to the proceedings. He described how identification photographs were posted outside prisoners' cells so guards could verify identities. Over time, some guards began removing the photographs and obtaining autographs directly from the prisoners, often in exchange for cigarettes or small favors. Roman carefully preserved these signed photographs and documents for decades, creating what is today one of the most extraordinary surviving groups of Nuremberg-related autographs ever assembled.

This collection contains signatures from individuals connected not only to the International Military Tribunal, but also to the subsequent Nuremberg Military Tribunals, including the Doctors Trial, Industrialists Trial, Ministries Trial, and other proceedings that sought to bring accountability to those responsible for the crimes of the Third Reich.

Among the most notable names represented within the collection are senior Third Reich leaders, military commanders, industrialists, physicians, and key participants in the trials, including figures such as Hermann Göring, Albert Speer, Karl Dönitz, Baldur von Schirach, Hans Frank, Julius Streicher, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Walther Funk, Hjalmar Schacht, Fritz Sauckel, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, and numerous defendants from the Doctors and Industrialists Trials. Many of these men stood accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace, while others appeared as witnesses, defendants in subsequent proceedings, or individuals interrogated by Allied authorities.

The provenance accompanying these signatures is exceptional. The notarized family affidavit is supported by original wartime documentation confirming Daniel Roman's service in Nuremberg, including:

● Provost Marshal Identification Card identifying Roman as serving with the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
● Class B Pass dated April 15, 1946.
● Army Ration Card dated October 20, 1945.
● Permanent Pass dated May 18, 1946.
● Nuremberg transportation pass dated September 8, 1946.

Historical records further confirm that the 26th Infantry Regiment assumed responsibility for the Nuremberg Trial prisoners in April 1946, directly corresponding with Roman's documented service at the prison facility.

Many of the original photographs in the collection retain small thumbtack holes near the upper edge. While such marks would normally be considered condition issues, in this case they provide compelling physical evidence supporting the family's account that these photographs were once displayed outside prison cells within the Nuremberg detention complex itself.

Each autograph in the collection has been carefully examined under magnification and exhibits the characteristics of a genuine period live-ink signature, rather than a printed facsimile or reproduction. The signatures remain exactly as obtained and preserved by Daniel Roman over seventy years ago.

Interest in the Nuremberg Trials remains as strong as ever, recently renewed by the Hollywood motion picture Nuremberg, which has introduced a new audience to the dramatic events, personalities, and moral questions surrounding these historic proceedings. Original artifacts with direct prison provenance have become increasingly difficult to locate, making this collection a rare opportunity for collectors, museums, researchers, and historians alike.

Included with Every Signature
To preserve the extraordinary provenance of this collection, every purchaser will receive:

● A printed copy of the notarized affidavit from Daniel Roman's daughter detailing the history of the collection.
● Printed copies of Daniel Roman's wartime identification cards, passes, and supporting Nuremberg service documents.
● A printed copy of a 1946 photograph showing Roman and fellow American Military Police personnel marching outside the Nuremberg courthouse complex.

A Direct Connection to History
Whether the individual represented was a principal defendant, witness, military leader, physician, industrialist, or other participant in the trials, each autograph from the Daniel Roman Collection offers a tangible connection to the historic effort to hold the leadership of Third Reich Germany accountable before the world. More than a simple signature, it is a surviving artifact from the very prison and courtroom complex where the foundations of modern international criminal law were established.

The signature offered in this listing is the exact example shown and comes from the documented Daniel Roman Nuremberg Collection, acquired directly from the family of the U.S. Army guard who assembled it during the trials themselves.