The Fraudster, His Chalice, And A Nazi Curse

Göring Chalice

A County Durham man has blamed a string of bad luck in his life on a £2 million ($3.2 million) chalice that once belonged to, and is inscribed with the name of, Herman Göring. Former show jumper Derick Smith was gaoled in 2002 after kidnapping a friend’s dog and blackmailing her for the return of his chalice, which she held as payment for a £40,000 debt. More recently, Newcastle Crown Court fined him for a fraud in which he stole hundreds of pounds from another friend after, he claims, a souring in their relationship caused by his refusal to use the chalice as a bank guarantee for a business venture.

The cup, which was looted from the Luftwaffe chief’s Karin Hall Lodge in East Prussia during 1945, was passed on to Smith over three decades ago after the soldier who ‘liberated’ it from the mansion died. According to the Sunderland Echo, Smith believes he ends up in trouble every time the chalice raises its head.

Hmmm. Of course, Göring’s hand could well be behind Mr Smith’s ‘misfortune’, but an inherent character flaw that predisposes him to con his friends may have more to do with it. . . .