Poulin Antiques & Auctions’ Summer 2026 Premier Firearm and Militaria Sale to Feature an Archive from The Tokyo Trials in Sugamo Prison Compiled By Its Head Executioner

Published 7/10/2026

This vast collection was assembled by Ellis C. Coker, (1921-1963) a career officer stationed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo during the 1946-1948 International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

Fairfield ME, July 9, 2026 – Poulin Antiques & Auctions is excited to present this important WWII archive as a highlight of their 2,622 lot Premier Firearm & Militaria Auction to be held on August 5th-9th, 2026. This event will be held live at Poulin’s gallery, located at 199 Skowhegan Rd., Fairfield, ME 04937. It will also be available for live bidding on PoulinLive (www.poulinauctions.com) , iCollector.com, Proxibid, Invaluable, Liveauctioneers, and AuctionZip. Phone and absentee bids are welcome. Contact the auction house directly for more information. Live, in person preview will be held on August 3rd-4th, 2026, and by appointment.

The Sugamo Prison Archive is lot #2493 and holds a presale estimate of $20,000-40,000. It contains hundreds of documents, photographs, images, and other forms of military ephemera. Among the most significant are an original mugshot – dated March 26, 1946 – and fingerprint card of Hideki Tojo, the highest-ranking prisoner tried and executed at Sugamo. Other highlights include a 100-yen banknote signed by 24 Tokyo Trials prisoners, including all seven who were executed; a 10-yen banknote signed by Iva Ikuko Toguri, aka Tokyo Rose; 32 watercolor drawings depicting daily life inside Sugamo Prison signed by the artist Yoshitaka Ogawa; a 124-page translation by the Japanese Buddhist chaplain Shinsho Hanayama (1898-1995) documenting life and death at Sugamo Prison; and a typed and illustrated 65-page manuscript by prisoner James K. Sasaki (1912-2005) titled The Sketches & Wills of the Seven “A” Class Executed Men. The collection also features Coker’s personal military papers from 1940 to 1960, along with photographs from service in the Pacific before Sugamo, citations, promotion materials, correspondence, and service records – among many other credentials.

This archive was previously part of the Military Museum Collection of Shooters Outpost of Hooksett NH, and all proceeds from its sale will be donated to NH Veterans Programs. Ellis Clifton Coker was responsible for the executions of Japanese officials found guilty of wartime atrocities and crimes against humanity at The Tokyo Trials – the Pacific counterpart to the Nuremberg Trials in Germany. Coker received his orders directly from General MacArthur. He retired as a major in the 175th Military Police Battalion after two decades. A letter from the VA – which is included in this archive – states that his death at 43 was the result of a service-connected disability. However, Coker’s son said that his death was a result of the trauma he experienced while serving as an executioner at Sugamo Prison and acute alcoholism.

According to Nick Poulin, President of Poulin Antiques & Auctions, “This is going to be a truly amazing auction, and will include the largest and highest grossing offering of NFA items ever presented at auction. Many of the premier items on offer are from the collection of the Shooters Outpost Museum from Hooksett, NH. Coker’s Sugamo Prison archive is a remarkable highlight from that museum, and also our August event. It offers nearly countless personal and first person insights into the Tokyo Trials and their aftermath, and could easily be the origins for a book, movie, or interpretive scholarly or historical research.”

About Us:

Poulin Antiques & Auctions Inc. is located in Fairfield, Maine. We are a family owned business, and based on annual sales, we are the second largest specialty firearms auction house in the world. For over 30 years we have offered professional high-quality auction services. Our dedication to fair and honest business dealings with consignors and buyers alike has catapulted our company to the forefront of the firearms auction industry. For more information, please see www.poulinauctions.com.

Media contact:

Nick Poulin, President of Poulin Antiques & Auctions

contact: consign@poulinauctions.com or (207) 453-2114

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Poulin Antiques & Auctions Inc.

Based on annual sales, we are the second largest specialty firearms auction house in the world!

For over 30 years we have offered professional high-quality auction services. Our dedication to fair & honest business dealings with consignors & buyers alike has catapulted our company to the forefront of the firearms auction industry.

199 Skowhegan Rd, Fairfield, Maine 04937
(207) 453-2114 | info@poulinauctions.com

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