Chained SS; de-nazified.

[Harvey A]

Hello to the forum,

An old friend of mine, who knows daggers well, will sell me a chained SS dagger that has had the top surface of the SS runes filed off. He says that the wood was not damaged in the process. He says the blade is in nice shape as is the scabbard and handle. There is no maker mark. The scabbard has the mounts for the fancy chain but the chain itself is missing.

So we have a chained SS without chain or SS rune for $1,800. He offers a good money-back guarantee. My questions are:

- Could it be worth the money?
- How hard (and expensive) would it be to find another original SS rune for the handle?
- How hard would it (and expensive) would it be to find an original chain?

He says he will send photos but he's terribly slow and I want some idea about what to do with this thing before I put him to too much trouble. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Harvey

[Skipper Greenwade]

Tom Johnson's Winter, 2004 list has the grip insignia for $60.00, but it does not have the shaft on the back that serves to secure it, so it's basically worhtless here.

He also has the links for the chain at $40.00 each, but no connecting links, cloverleaf fitting or hanger clip. He does have a complete 1936 NSKK dagger chain hanger assembly for $1,150, so if we use that at a ballpark estimate of what a complete '36 S hanger will cost, you're suddenly up in the $3,000.00 range, but still don't have the hanger attached to the scabbard. Finding someone who can do that and not have it look like it was done yesterday is yet another hoop to jump through.

In the past, when the condition of a piece warrants it, I have advocated blade changes, grip changes and other alterations involving parts that can be simply unscrewed and screwed back on, as long as they are original parts and by/attributable to the same maker - IMHO what we're discussing here is a very different and much more complicated undertaking. The finished product will always be considered a 'parts' dagger and will likely never command the respect or money that an unaltered original will draw, especially because attaching the hanger involves more that a simple parts exchange. Financially, it doesn't seem to be all that great of a deal, either. I'd stay away from this one unless you have a lot of patience, more than a little money and are willing to spend it on a piece that will probably never be viewed in the best light.

Hope that helps,
Skip

[Wizard]

If you do plan on collecting SS daggers or want a representative peice, then don't get this one. The whole point of getting a M36 is for the chain. That is the most integral part and people take it off to make bracelets and stuff. The chances of you finding a complete chain to replace is very slim, even then it would be a "parts" dagger, like Mr. Greenwade mentioned. Finding a rune is a bit easier.
Remember that chained SS is very much in demand. To give you an idea, a decent early one, nickle silvered with painted scabbard, is about $6,000, and that's if you can find one.

Myself, it's been 5 years and I am still waiting for a mint one.

[Bernie Brule]

I have to agree with my colleagues. And if a nice M36 is too rich for your budget, you can pick up a nice M33 for a little more than $1800.

[Billy G]

I wonder if the piece would be worth the $1800 if sold off as parts, provided they were in good shape? I would think due to the prohibitave cost of these daggers, lots of people would consider spending decent bucks to replace a piece if their dagger had a singular problem. I've seen a number of otherwise good M36s with bad blades or pitted scabbards.

[mott5ranch]

The bottom line is . . . do you want a project? I've had Larry and Skip say those words to me on more than one occasion. And in this case it would be a big project. If your friend wants to move the piece he should contact the big dagger dealers because they know and understand how difficult it is to move dagger parts. His self tampered with dagger was a stupid and expensive mistake on his part, but he just made the others a little more valuable.

He'll be lucky to get anything for it.

[Larry Lipps]

From a parts issue, most of the desirable parts are what's missing. I'd have to pass on this one.

[Harvey A]

Thanks everyone for the sound advice. I do enjoy projects, but only when there is a real bargain involved. You guys are great and I really appreciate your help.

Harvey

[BobI]

You guys would not believe how many chained SS daggers there are that are missing the chains. In 26 years I have never seen a chain for sale though. If I remember correctly Johnson is selling the links as post war “fillers”.

For what you described I would value it at 1500-1800. That is normally what you see this type of item for. And it will not be easy to sell on top of that!

Best Wishes,

Bob