The Leveel collection scattered at auction in Vierville

Nearly four hundred visitors visited the public exhibitions on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, before the sale of the Leveel collection at the Vierville-sur-Mer festival hall. From two o'clock on Sunday, the collectors crowded into the room. Coming from Normandy, Strasbourg, Paris, but also from Great Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands, many had spent the weekend in Bessin so as not to miss the dispersion of the objects presented at the " Omaha 6 June" museum from 1981 to 1993.

Arms expert Gaëtan Brunel stressed the rarity of such a sale. Auctioneer Régis Bailleul reported many purchases by local museums, including the Museum of the Battle of Bayeux, as well as the acquisition of rare pieces by the War Museum of the Ministry of Defense. All objects had to be auctioned. The product exceeded 230,000 francs, almost the estimate announced.

Among the prices recorded, a German rocket launcher "panzerschreck" reached 4,050 francs and an American bazooka 3,200 francs. A U.S. military police sergeant mannequin was sold for 4,100 francs; German paratrooper hunter pants, 6,500 francs; and a Feldgendarme mannequin, including a motorcycle waterproof coat, 8,000 francs. A German dorsal parachute went to 3,800 francs, and a Wehrmacht regulation bike to 3,500 francs.

The photographs also show the importance of common objects overall: helmets found at sea, insignia of American divisions, soldier's equipment, camouflaged gas masks and handkerchiefs. Patrice Daimassie, clerk of the Langeard study, was pleased that the inhabitants and their neighbors were able to review this collection one last time. Régis Bailleul also appreciated this local and emotional dimension of the sale, beyond the sole trade in objects. The article is signed Élisabeth Burnouf.

Reconstructed or uncertain passages:
- The date of December 22, 1998 comes from the file name; no date cartridge is visible on the clip.

Archive image: https://vierville.cordelle.eu/PhDoc10/1998Dec22_Musee2.jpg