Plombage Gripper SS marked

[Aeneas]

Hello guys!

Yesterday I got follow strange item - a "plombage gripper" SS - marked ..

Further marks: RZM M3/39, SS, Ges. Gesch. Nr. 683

The gripper works - you can produce plombages marked with: RZM and SS 42/39 ..

Does anybody here know for what this gripper was used?

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The gripper came in this box - but I guess this is not the genuine box - it´s all-too small and the marks are not correct - I think the box is a funny fake for the purpose to achieve a better sales price ..

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[DocumentsGuy]

OK, I'll take a stab at it. In Vietnam I wrapped packages of classified material for shipment back to the States. When I had an unusually shaped or bulky item rather than wrap it in paper or box it, I would put it in a special white canvas mailing bag. I would then take a loop of really tough cord and wrap it around the neck of the bag to close it. I would then take a round (sometimes square) lead slug that had two holes drilled throuh it and feed the two ends of the cord through the holes in the lead slug. I then used a special pliers-like "crimping tool" to squeeze the lead slug which clamped it down onto the cords making it impossible to open the bag unless you cut the cord with a very sharp knife. The "crimper" that I used did not impart any design or working onto the lead slug but it could have. I believe what you have is a lead slug "crimping tool". This would seem to be borne out by the lead disks and cord in the box with the tool. To be honest, I'm not sure why the crimper's dies would impart an RZM logo and those numbers, nor am I sure why the crimper itself would be so profusely SS marked. My guess would be that the crimper was used to seal bags/packages of SS items for shipment either by a manufacturer or perhaps by some SS guy who had a job in WWII similar to the one I had in Vietnam. That's my two cents, for what it's worth.

[sjl]

I think what you have is an RZM sample ("Probe") marking tool for an RZM-approved manufacturer. They would thread a cord through a hat, dagger ring, eagle or other sample item after manufacture and mark it with a lead slug. The slug has the manufacturer's license number and year. The sample was then sent to the RZM authorities as a pre-production sample for approval.

This particular one is for the SS's own RZM system, which was parallel to the NSDAP's RZM office. SS RZM numbers have mostly not been identified.

The crimping tool is itself an RZM-approved item, with its own RZM number. "M3" is the code for "symbols or emblems", which is not exactly what this is, but there aren't any RZM license categories much closer to describing this tool. I can probably find the exact maker of the crimping tool in my files.