Your Number's Up

[Robin Lumsden]

Has anyone else wondered how all these serial numbered SS Rohms, SS Himmlers, SS swords etc. etc. that have been floating around in ever-increasing quantities in recent years always seem to have the stamped-in service number of some high and mighty Obergruppenfuhrer, war hero or Old Guard personality, and seldom an untraceable number or the number of some little old reserve Obersturmfuhrer sitting behind the desk in his Allgemeine-SS office?

Just how difficult is it to look at a reprint of the Dienstaltersliste, get a nice juicy number, and stamp it on to the crossguard of a dagger, thereby potentially multiplying its asking price 10-fold?

To my mind, if a stamped number's all you've got to tie a dagger to a personality, then you're on pretty thin ice.

Thoughts anyone??

[Rick Research]

Maybe out in the wide world, but in my small corner, out of probably 3 dozen I've been asked to look up over the years, not a one has been to a traceable officer. Not a one.

Hours scanning down membership numbers for naught.

The problem is with overly eager "trophy" "investors" who expect Miraculous Finds to literally fall into THEIR hands 60 years on... as if NOBODY in all the lifetime since has ever noticed before.

THAT is the problem with collectors who are not REALLY collectors-- for whom something totally original is Not Good Enough, but has to be "bumped up" to "Where Eagles Dare" fantasy.

[Larry Lipps]

Robin,
While I realize that presonalized items are a big deal to some collectors, they scare me big time. I enjoy personalized pieces as long as it doesn't add any appreciable cost to the item. I have several badges with the name scratched on the back, but I didn't pay extra for it. I also own a Luft visor supposedly to a Knights Cross winner, but anyone could have typed the name and stuck it in the hat. Daggers are no different. The exception to this rule would have to be pieces with unquestionable wartime engraved dedications. An example would be an Honor Goblet or a dagger with a dedication on the blade. I also have a document to a German Cross in Gold panzer guy in the hand written red ink. I paid more for it than I would have a typed copy, and more again than for a blank copy. The point is, for me it depends on the just how easy is to authenticate ownership. Would I buy a Golden Party Badge with a 1 or 7 stamped on the back, not on your life.

[William J]

My findings tend to reflect what Rick and Snigley have already shared. When I discovered that Rick had the ability to research names, I dug out an early Eickhorn army dagger that had a beautifully engraved last name on the crossguard. I hadn't looked at that dagger in years. Sure, I hoped it might turn out to be somebody history remembered, but it was not the case. But I bought the dagger as a 100% original early Eickhorn and the name at the time may have added 10%. I would have bought it without the name and so it simply added a bonus. But the big dagger dealer catalogs are full of famous personality pieces, as you mentioned Robin. Is it because they have access to so many more pieces than we do, or something else? That is what the buyer or collector ultimately has to decide. Ultimately, even with number of name additions, buy the piece not the story! (Even a story told by stampings!)

[DaveJ]

I have heard that honor goblets are being altered by reengraving a famous personality on to it to increase the value

[Colorado]

Robin, I agree they do seem to appear more often and I don't place high value on them. Could the high prices be bringing them out? Most I have seen accepted as legit appear to have the correct stamps. Have you seen what looks like spurious stamps on an otherwise good dagger coming out?

I have owned one numbered SS dagger and it was not in the "key" and it sold at no more than a standard SS. Now, taking an SS or Rohm dagger and stamping a number on it is risky proposition.

I have one SA that absotlutely came from the German SA member. Got his name, photos, paperwork badges etc. Guess what? The dagger is unstamped, so all you have is my word that it came with it. Guess I need to add his SA number to it.