The story behind the photos of the Luftwaffe dagger, is that just after the MAX Show last year Craig phoned me up to tell me about the wonderful dagger he had bought.
He asked me to write up a highly favourable appraisal of the piece, and e-mailed me photos. Upon sight of the photos I stated that I couldn't write a favourable appraisal on the piece, because I considered that the etched inscription was false and post-war - and I explained why I considered it to be wrong.
Craig's immediate response was that I didn't know what I was talking about - which is rather funny when you consider that he had just been asking me to appraise the item (as he felt that my approval would dispell any other notion that the etching was faked).
When I introduced the dagger into this thread, it was to make a point about etching and to get Craig to respond. I didn't know at that time that Craig had sold the dagger to yourself.
Craig's response was to get the photos removed from the thread as fast as possible. It seems that my word is only good when I am praising the glories of something he has; but when I say something against it then my commentary has to be removed from public view. All this from the man who thought that he and I could write a book on reproductions together.
Right after the images were removed from the site, Craig phoned me up and told me in no uncertain terms that I was "not a gentleman" for having introduced those images into this thread.
Perhaps Craig is right, maybe I am "not a gentleman", but I also consider that a gentleman would not sell that dagger as wholly original to another collector - especially as he had asked for my opinion and appraisal, and knew from me where the etched inscription was at fault.
I will not put the images back up on this thread without your permission. But if you wish I will send them to you privately, together with my analysis showing where I find the etched dedication to be wrong.
