The Aporia · €100 typewriter turns out to be WWII Enigma machine, sold for €45,000 at auction

In 2017, a German Enigma I machine from World War II was sold for €100 at a Romanian flea market and later identified by a cryptography professor as an authentic Enigma device. It was then auctioned off by Artmark Auction House in Bucharest for €45,000. The machine, manufactured in 1941, had been mistakenly believed to be an ordinary typewriter by its initial seller. This significant artifact's final sale price represents a 450-fold increase from its original purchase amount, highlighting the historical and technological value of such rare cryptographic equipment used during WWII.

Written by AI on 2026-10-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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In 2017, a machine initially sold for €100 at a flea market in Romania turned out to be a rare German Enigma I device from World War II. A cryptography professor recognized its historical significance and bought it. The machine, manufactured in Germany in 1941, was later consigned by the collector to Artmark, an auction house in Bucharest. At the auction, the Enigma machine sold for €45,000 to an unnamed online bidder. According to Cristian Gavrila, a representative from Artmark, the condition of the machine was almost perfect when it went up for sale with a starting price of €9,000. This discovery highlights the historical and monetary value of such rare artifacts related to World War II encryption technology.

Written for “Enigma Machine Auctioned” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Enigma Machine Auctioned

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World War II Enigma I/Image: Gabriel Ghizdavu/Artmark From a flea market to a €45,000 auction The machine had been made in Germany in 1941 and was described by an Artmark representative as being in almost perfect condition.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-04

🔮 Its rotors could be set to different positions, changing the encryption produced by the device.

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€100 typewriter turns out to be WWII Enigma machine, sold for €45,000 at auction · assertive framing

In 2017, a machine sold for €100 at a Romanian flea market turned out to be a German Enigma I used during World War II, after a cryptography professor recognised what the seller had mistaken for an ordinary typewriter. asserted

seller → sell → typewriter

The rare machine later sold for €45,000 at an auction in Bucharest. asserted

machine → sell → Bucharest

The collector spotted the machine at a flea market and immediately recognised its significance. asserted

collector → spot → significance

He bought it for €100 before eventually consigning it to Artmark, a Bucharest auction house. asserted

He → buy → Artmark

Artmark put the machine up for sale with a starting price of €9,000. asserted

Artmark → put → 9,000

It was eventually bought by an unnamed online bidder for €45,000. asserted

It → buy → 45,000

“The collector bought it from a flea market. asserted

collector → buy → market

He’s a cryptography professor and ... he knew very well what he was buying,” Cristian Gavrila, Artmark’s collectible consignment manager, told Reuters. asserted

Gavrila → ’ → Reuters

The discovery was particularly significant because the machine was a German Wehrmacht Enigma I, a cipher device used to encrypt military communications during World War II. asserted

machine → use → II

machine → make → condition

Vlad Georgescu, a relationship manager at Artmark auction house told CNN, that collector had spent time cleaning and repairing the machine after buying it. asserted

collector → tell → it

He also said the previous owner had not realised what the object actually was and had believed it to be a conventional typewriter. asserted

it → say → ?

The collector, described as a mathematician who had spent much of his life decrypting codes, began examining how the machine worked after acquiring it. asserted

machine → describe → it

Its eventual auction price was 450 times what the seller had received at the flea market. However, the €45,000 sale was not the highest price paid for an Enigma machine. asserted

sale → receive → machine

A month earlier, a four-rotor Enigma cipher machine from 1944 had sold at Christie's in New York for $547,500, according to Reuters. uncertain

machine → sell → Reuters

Another Enigma machine featured in a Hollywood film about the Bletchley Park codebreakers had sold in London in 2011 for £133,250, as per the CNN. asserted

machine → feature → CNN

How the Enigma machine was used The Enigma was an electromechanical encryption device used by different branches of Nazi Germany’s military to encode and decode messages. asserted

Enigma → use → messages

Operators typed messages using the machine's keyboard. asserted

Operators → type → keyboard

Its rotors could be set to different positions, changing the encryption produced by the device. uncertain

rotors → set → device

Later versions also included a plugboard that added another layer of complexity. asserted

that → include → complexity

German forces believed messages protected by the system were difficult to decipher. asserted

messages → believe → system

That changed during World War II when British codebreakers at Bletchley Park worked to break the Enigma codes. asserted

codebreakers → change → codes

The work carried out by Turing and his colleagues is widely credited with helping shorten the war. asserted

work → carry → war

Estimates cited in the supplied reports put the impact at around two years. asserted

Estimates → cite → years

Ally of Nazi The machine's presence in Romania also has a historical connection to the conflict. asserted

presence → have → conflict

Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany until 1944, when it switched sides and joined the Allies. asserted

it → switch → Allies

€100 typewriter turns out to be WWII Enigma machine, sold for €45,000 at auction

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