Horst Eckel’s estate is auctioned off

Er was the youngest in the German world championship team of 1954. And he was the last living of the “Heroes of Bern”. Horst Eckel died on December 3, 2021 at the age of 89 in Landstuhl. Now his daughter Dagmar is auctioning off her father’s football legacy, who is buried in his home village of Vogelbach. The money should be used to care for Eckel’s widow Hannelore (85), who had been ill for a long time. It is not easy for her, said Dagmar Eckel, but described the announced auction as inevitable.

“I can’t avoid criticism. It’s very emotional for me and a matter of pride,” said Dagmar during a press conference on Tuesday: “But I can’t be shaken by negative things. I can’t handle it, I have to sell things.” You have “a clear conscience.”

The estate of the soccer world champion is to be auctioned off on November 9th at a so-called private auction by the Agon publishing house. “It is the wish of the Eckels family that the collection is completely taken over by a public museum, archive or private sponsor and that the extensive historical collection is properly archived, secured and thus made publicly accessible,” the auction house said in a statement The collection is offered in its entirety for a starting price of EUR 280,000.If the legacy of the football icon from 1. FC Kaiserslautern with over 500 individual pieces does not go to one bidder in its entirety as desired, the pieces will be offered again individually ten days later.

“Everything goes the way of my father’s will. Dad said ‘objects are objects and people are people’. It’s about securing my mum’s future,” said Dagmar Eckel. She described the necessary renovation work on her parents’ house as a major task. “It is well thought out and the right path for the family. Any financial background fades eventually. It won’t be enough anymore. All of the money from the auction ends up in my mother’s account.”