Joachim von Ribbentrop Napkin

Product Description:  This is a rare and historically significant Joachim von Ribbentrop Napkin, the Nazi Foreign Minister under Adolf Hitler. This exceptional off-white linen napkin, measuring 15 ½ inches by 15 ½ inches, represents one of the more elegant and personalized pieces of Third Reich tableware linked to the highest echelons of the Nazi regime.

Prominently featured on one side of the napkin is a superbly detailed, hand-embroidered eagle—its wings partially spread—grasping a wreath that encloses a swastika. The eagle is perched above a stylized rendering of the globe, symbolizing the regime’s ambitions on the world stage. Wrapping from beneath the globe and elegantly arching up on both sides is a rich cluster of meticulously stitched oak leaves, a traditional German symbol of strength and honor.

What elevates this Joachim von Ribbentrop Napkin far beyond a typical souvenir is the remarkable accompanying documentation which are photocopies—a notarized letter and handwritten affidavit from the U.S. veteran who recovered this item in the immediate aftermath of World War II. The veteran, Colonel E.D. Porter of the U.S. Army (Ret.), was serving with the 71st Infantry Regiment when his unit was stationed in a redoubt area of the Austrian Alps in May 1945. It was there that they discovered a hidden cache of personal belongings that had belonged to Ribbentrop.

In his notarized and dated letter from July 23, 1975, Colonel Porter details the discovery of several of Ribbentrop’s personal effects, including a silver dagger presented by Mussolini, a riding crop monogrammed with “J.R.,” and a silver flask—all of which were later sold. Included in this same lot, and clearly mentioned in the letter, were “a dozen of Ribbentrop’s personal linen napkins.” Colonel Porter’s signature on this document was notarized in Sonoma County, California.

A second handwritten affidavit from Colonel Porter, dated July 24, 1975 and typed on his personal stationary, adds a candid personal perspective to the story. He recalls the conditions under which the items were found and mentions that these napkins were among other articles “captured with the Nazi insignia.” Both letters which are photocopies are included with the sale.

This Joachim von Ribbentrop Napkin is not merely a piece of cloth—it is a documented artifact tied directly to one of the most notorious figures of the Third Reich and comes backed by otestimony from the American officer who brought it home.

Historical Description: Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893–1946) was Nazi Germany’s Foreign Minister and one of Adolf Hitler’s closest diplomatic confidants. A former champagne salesman turned political insider, Ribbentrop joined the Nazi Party in the early 1930s and quickly rose through the ranks due to his international connections and fluency in foreign affairs.

He served as Germany’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1936 to 1938, where his stiff demeanor and pro-Nazi stance made him deeply unpopular. In 1938, Hitler appointed him Reich Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ribbentrop played a central role in negotiating key pacts, most notably the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union in 1939, which cleared the way for Germany’s invasion of Poland and the start of World War II.

Throughout the war, Ribbentrop remained a staunch loyalist to Hitler, helping to coordinate foreign policy and justify the regime’s aggressive expansionism. After the war, he was arrested, tried at the Nuremberg Trials, and found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was executed by hanging in 1946.

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