Exactly, Houston. We are very fortunate here to have great provenance concerning this sword, so we should all use it as a learning tool. It's rare in this day and age to have such solid documentation concerning a sword. Remember:
1) It was suggested that there was a typo, since the Germans allegedly didn't capitalize proper nouns. SHOWN TO BE INCORRECT IN THIS THREAD.
2) It was suggested that the dedication made no sense. SHOWN TO BE INCORRECT IN THIS THREAD THROUGH THE TESTIMONY OF MANY GERMAN SPEAKERS.
3) It was suggested that the NSDAP did not give out military awards. SHOWN TO BE INCORRECT IN THIS THREAD BY THE TESTIMONY OF MANY EXPERIENCED BLADE COLLECTORS and PUBLISHED REFERENCES.
4) It was suggested that somehow, since the dates on the originally posted documentation didn't line up, that there was something fishy going on. SHOWN TO BE INCORRECT IN THIS THREAD BY THE POSTING OF THE REST OF EACH LETTER, SHOWING THAT THERE WERE NO DATE INCONSISTENCIES AT ALL.
5) It was suggested that the minor deviations from perfection on the etch were cause for alarm. SHOWN TO BE INCORRECT IN THIS THREAD BY THE TESTIMONY OF HOUSTON, AND BY MY PHOTOS OF REAL ETCHES, SHOWING THAT FRED'S STANDARD FOR ETCHES IS NOT IN LINE WITH HOW THINGS WORKED IN SOLINGEN.
6) It was suggested that "NSDAP" in block lettering was suspicious. SHOWN TO BE INCORRECT IN THIS THREAD.
7) It was suggested, in a final attempt to discredit the sword, that Wolfe was somehow involved in some hanky-panky. LUDICROUS, ABSENT A PROFIT MOTIF and ANY EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THIS TO BE TRUE, OTHER THAN A CRITICISM OF HIS TYPING SKILLS AND HIS ATTEMPT TO GET THE SWORD CHEAP BY BEING A BIT CHEEKY.
In summary, it's always important to judge a piece by the correct standard. To us, we ascribe an almost holy status to these relics. To the men who owned them (and certainly to the men who sold them) they were just swords.
This whole episode reminds me of my own Mameluke Officer sword. When I got it from The Marine Shop in Quantico, I noticed that mine had a flaw on the nickel plated scabbard. I was a bit disappointed, and could have returned it for a better one. But it had my name on it, and it was the one I got. So, I shrugged my shoulders, and went on with life. I imagine that Weyersberg, who made my sword, didn't really care that much about the flaw. Neither did The Marine Shop, and neither did I.
