Lenin statue for sale on ebay (screenshot via ebay)
If you’re in the market for a monumental piece of Soviet history, perhaps an old, public memorial to one of the former state’s leaders may interest you. Available for purchase right now on eBay, of all places, are two statues of Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin, both completely intact and attached to their original pedestals. The former could be your next garden addition for $225,000; the latter, for $59,000.
Auctioned off by the same seller, who is based in Austria, both are rare relics that would have once stood in a city of the present-day Czech Republic and escaped destruction after their dismantling. It’s not a fate many Stalins nor Lenins have enjoyed, particularly under de-Stalinization and decommunization laws. Their individual histories are a tad murky: the figure of Lenin, standing nearly seven feet tall and weighing about 2.5 tons, likely once stood in either the small town of Hořice or the even smaller one of Zákupy, according to the seller’s research. The seller managed to narrow down a location because the iron Lenin bears the mark of sculptor Vladimir Kyn, who apparently made four similar statues in four different Czech cities. This one portrays Lenin as contemplative, looking down while holding a notebook and a pencil.
Stalin statue for sale on ebay (screenshot via ebay)
As for the bronze figure of Stalin, it originally stood in a park in the town of Litoměřice, until the city auctioned it off, according to its current seller. Sculpted by one “Bradacek-Kyselka” in 1953 at a factory known as Zukov, it depicts the dictator standing 11 feet tall, completely rigid with his right hand at his chest. It would definitely serve as a helpful way for your guests to identify your place of residence (“Second house on the right, the one with the elm and the big bronze dictator.”)
Both statues are available for immediate purchase, if you’re seriously looking for a way to immediately become the topic of conversation of your neighborhood. Oh, and shipping is free, to any location worldwide, which is nice.
