Yad Vashem finds ‘Auschwitz tattoo stamps’ may not be that at all

A Yad Vashem review of tattoo stamps that were recently at the center of an uproar after being offered on auction as Auschwitz stamps has found that they likely were not used on Jewish inmates, Reuters reports.

The report, which is set to be submitted to the Tel Aviv District Court as part of the dispute over the auction, says the use of steel dies for tattooing prisoners was stopped fairly early during World War II, and thus was mostly used on non-Jewish political prisoners or captured combatants.

The tattoos given to Jews at Auschwitz were overwhelmingly done with styluses, found to be a quicker method.

The museum found that the stamps were actually more likely to date from 1949, after the war, and may have been used for livestock rather than people.

The auction was frozen by the court in November following an appeal from a Holocaust survivor group, as it reviews the proposed sale.

According to Reuters, auctioneer Meir Tzolman has insisted the stamps were certified as originating in Auschwitz.