Joseph Stalin’s chilling death mask hits auction as fans of tyrant who killed millions set to spend thousands

NewsUK News A CREEPY mask of Joseph Stalin is set to be auctioned off with excited collectors set to spend thousands. The “death mask” of one of history‘s most notorious killers will go on sale next month. A mask of Joseph Stalin is set to be put up for auction next month Credit: The Canterbury Auction Galleries Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist until his death in 1953 Credit: Getty The dark green likeness is one of 12 created from the original plaster cast taken as the Soviet dictator lay motionless on his deathbed in 1953. The mask comes with two bronze casts of Stalin’s hands. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The left is withered from an injury he sustained as a child when he was hit by a horse-drawn carriage near his home in Gori, Georgia. Stalin was supposedly self-conscious about his hand and would often hide it in photographs. Who was Joseph Stalin? Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Born in Georgia, he rose through the Bolshevik Party after the Russian Revolution. He transformed the Soviet Union into a major industrial power through rapid industrialization and collectivized agriculture. These policies came at an enormous human cost, contributing to widespread famine, forced labor, and millions of deaths. Stalin established a highly centralized dictatorship that relied on censorship, surveillance, and political repression. During the Great Purge of the 1930s, countless perceived opponents were imprisoned, exiled, or executed. He led the Soviet Union through World War II, playing a decisive role in the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany. Born into a poor family, Stalin was a revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death. His regime was defined by terror, resulting in the death of millions. The “death mask” was originally purchased by the seller at a Sotheby’s auction in 1993. Valuers at Canterbury Auction Galleries have now put a guide price of between £8,000 and £12,000 on the item. Most read in The Sun The extraordinary item goes under the hammer on August 4 in an online auction. This is the last of a four-day auction, which features hundreds of lots from jewellery and porcelain to furniture and collectibles. The first two days are dedicated to the Peter Firmin studio sale. It features 500 lots of his children’s artwork and toys. Comment now