Original Items: 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 portrait photograph of Fritz Sauckel (1894–1946), the German political official who served as Gauleiter of Thuringia from 1927 until 1945 and as General Plenipotentiary for Labor Deployment during WWII. The photograph measures approximately 5” x 7 ⅛” (12.7 x 18.1 cm) and bears his handwritten signature along the lower white margin. Sauckel is depicted wearing a civilian suit and tie with a small political eagle lapel pin.

This very signed photograph was 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.

Fritz Sauckel was a prominent figure in the Third Reich, whose political career began during the early years of the National Socialist movement. Born in Haßfurt, Bavaria, in 1894, he served in the German merchant marine before the First World War and was interned in France after the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. Returning to Germany after the war, he joined the NSDAP in 1923 and rose through its regional organization in Thuringia, becoming Gauleiter in 1927. Following the National Socialist seizure of power in 1933, he was appointed Reichsstatthalter, or Reich Governor, of Thuringia, consolidating his position within the regional political administration.

Sauckel's responsibilities expanded considerably during WWII. On March 21, 1942, he was appointed Generalbevollmächtigter für den Arbeitseinsatz (General Plenipotentiary for Labor Deployment), placing him in charge of organizing and supplying labor for the German war economy. As Germany faced increasing manpower shortages, Sauckel directed the recruitment, deportation, and allocation of millions of workers from German-occupied territories to factories, agricultural enterprises, and other industries supporting the war effort.

Under his administration, forced labor became an increasingly important component of German wartime production. Large numbers of civilians were transported from occupied territories, particularly Eastern Europe, under coercive conditions. Many were subjected to severe restrictions, inadequate living conditions, and harsh treatment. Sauckel worked closely with other senior German officials, including Albert Speer, whose Ministry of Armaments and War Production depended heavily on the labor supply administered through Sauckel's organization.

Following Germany's defeat in May 1945, Sauckel was arrested and subsequently brought before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, where he stood trial alongside other leading officials of the Third Reich. The proceedings, held between November 1945 and October 1946, examined the responsibility of senior German political and military leaders for aggressive warfare, the administration of occupied territories, and crimes committed during WWII.

Sauckel was indicted on all four counts presented by the prosecution. On October 1, 1946, the Tribunal found him guilty on Counts Three and Four: war crimes and crimes against humanity. The judgment focused principally on his responsibility for the forced recruitment and deportation of foreign civilians for labor in Germany. The Tribunal concluded that more than five million people had been deported for forced labor under the system he directed, and that Sauckel bore responsibility for its coercive methods and widespread abuses.

He was sentenced to death by hanging and executed at Nuremberg on October 16, 1946, at the age of 51.

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. ONLY THE SIGNED PHOTO IS INCLUDED, NOT THE PATCH OR OTHER PHOTOS FROM ROMAN.