I know how many of you feel about stories, however I though this might be an interesting one to share. About 10 years ago, when I was a relatively new collector, I had a good friendship with a Canadian dealer who is now dead. Unfortunately I was to find out that this dealer sold a lot of fake items along with good ones by the time I knew him but that had not always been the case. He sold me a few, but he was also the object behind his own undoing with me as he encouraged me to buy books and learn to spot fakes through continued research.
Despite the numerious bad items on his table, he was quite a character and I enjoyed our conversations. Eventually he asked my one day over the phone if I would like to see his personal dagger collection. When we next met he came in with several long rolled felt sheets that had been divided into pocket to hold daggers, and let me tell you there were some beautiful and definate original pieces in the bundles, however two SS daggers were the most interesting.
He had both a beautiful chained and early model SS dagger that he claimed belonged to Hermann Fegelein. Now I was skeptical at first, however as I examined the daggers I really liked them more and more. The were absolutely top of the line makers (which I cannot remember now) and Fegelein's serial # was under each crossguard in beautiful and definatley patinated engraving. Now I know what you're all thinking, anyone could have added those, and I agree. However this next feature was really interesting. The pommel nut had been expertly and deeply cut to form the intertwined cypher intials HOF. Now the quality of this work was second to none and would have been very difficult and expensive to execute. The fellow in question claimed that he had purchased them in Quebec from a French Canadian veteran who brought them back as a souvenir. Now I can't be 100% certain, but I believe that they had a very strong possibility of being genuine. The workmanship and patination was gorgeous and the fact that this dealer never tried to sell them or rarely showed them added to this feeling. He had a lot of crap to sell, but anything in those rolls was never offered up. I only saw those daggers once for about 4 hours and that was it. After he died I have no idea what happened to them.
I just thought I would share this incase anyone has seen them surface / let people know that these are possibly out there.
Despite the numerious bad items on his table, he was quite a character and I enjoyed our conversations. Eventually he asked my one day over the phone if I would like to see his personal dagger collection. When we next met he came in with several long rolled felt sheets that had been divided into pocket to hold daggers, and let me tell you there were some beautiful and definate original pieces in the bundles, however two SS daggers were the most interesting.
He had both a beautiful chained and early model SS dagger that he claimed belonged to Hermann Fegelein. Now I was skeptical at first, however as I examined the daggers I really liked them more and more. The were absolutely top of the line makers (which I cannot remember now) and Fegelein's serial # was under each crossguard in beautiful and definatley patinated engraving. Now I know what you're all thinking, anyone could have added those, and I agree. However this next feature was really interesting. The pommel nut had been expertly and deeply cut to form the intertwined cypher intials HOF. Now the quality of this work was second to none and would have been very difficult and expensive to execute. The fellow in question claimed that he had purchased them in Quebec from a French Canadian veteran who brought them back as a souvenir. Now I can't be 100% certain, but I believe that they had a very strong possibility of being genuine. The workmanship and patination was gorgeous and the fact that this dealer never tried to sell them or rarely showed them added to this feeling. He had a lot of crap to sell, but anything in those rolls was never offered up. I only saw those daggers once for about 4 hours and that was it. After he died I have no idea what happened to them.
I just thought I would share this incase anyone has seen them surface / let people know that these are possibly out there.
Comment