An American grappling hook, a relic of the D-Day landings, sold for 21,000 euros at auction in Cherbourg

An American grappling hook used during the Landings was sold for 21,000 euros on Saturday May 4 at the Cherbourg auction house, reports France Bleu Cotentin. This grappling hook was used during the ascent of the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, in Calvados, on June 6, 1944, used by American rangers. It was then kept for years by a family from Cotentin.

With a length of 122 cm, with its six hooking claws, it is a fairly rare tool: only two complete grappling hooks are known in the world, explains Samuel Boscher, the auctioneer. The first is exhibited at the Overlord museum in Colleville-sur-Mer, in Calvados. It was purchased at auction in Caen in May 2019, sold for 51,000 euros. The one sold on Saturday had to be sanded and repainted because it had been outside for a very long time.

“What’s fabulous is that we have a little piece of rope still at the end, it’s quite moving”, explains auctioneer Samuel Boscher. Extensive checks had been made to ensure that it was not a copy since fake grappling hooks were manufactured well after DDay.