Hi your knot is certainly similar in construction to period examples. I will leave it to more learned members to offer comment. Regards, Ryan
These remain controversial. Some strongly believe they are postwar. Others, including Tom Wittmann, The story goes they were never issued, or very few were issued, prior to the war's end, A large cache of them, unissued, supposedly was found withing the past ten or fifteen years and appeared on the collecting scene. I have never seen viable information indicating whether they are authentic wartime production. There are least two variations of this one and, as noted, the quality is there. They stand on their own and are not reproductions of known examples. Most are found folded and tied with string, as you would see from the factory, but you do see them attached to edged weapons occasionally. but, who knows when they were attached?I have seen a few which appeared to have light age and wear attached to swords, but such condition can be faked, as well. Until and unless irrefutable information, one way or another, is established, the opposing views on these will continue.
Grumpy is correct......and this is why they are available for between $300 and $500........I have owned some and the quality is comparable to wartime examples...and they do not glow under UV....but the collecting community has not "accepted" them en masse so their desirability and value are very moderate, comparative to similar SS items/accoutrement...cheers, Ryan
I think they are real but not terribly sell-able. Even though I do feel they are real I will not sell the ones I do have because I know it will only cause problems later.
Best Wishes,
Bob
Today, I was perusing eBay, and for the first time, I saw one of this type which has the same strap and an all silver ball and stem. I presume this would be an example for officers. I have never seen one before in all the years the NCO types have been around. If anybody's interested, it is listed under "German swords."
There's a SS type portepee in my auction ...
http://www.cgmauctions.com/detail.asp?id=3793&n=Lot-of-8-Sword-and-Bayonet-KnotsI've never known what they were for, but always assumed bayonets, or possibly swords.
I think $300 TO $500 is way off. I've bought them for around $50. in the past and don't believe they have gone up that much.
Late to the party here...
The portepees (troddels?) in the pictures are not the same. Note the absence of the black at the top of the ball. The ones in the pictures are the "true" NCO portepees. Lakeside trader had some on his site. (Don't want to post them w/o permission.)
I, too, bought one of these for about $50, just for the heck of it. To the best of my knowledge, there is no picture anywhere of them in use during the TR. For now, they remain a mystery, but I wouldn't accept them as genuine.
DTS
DTS is right on the money. The knot shown in the photographs is a round NCO Troddel and not the oval Portepee shown in the first question of this thread. Two entirely different knots.
One possible explanation is they were never issued to anyone and are wartime in manufacture. They appear to be of late manufacture, as opposed to having been made in the 1930's. But, that could also indicate they were made postwar. All I've heard about them is they were made during the war, unissued and found in a storage area. They are not reproductions, per se, but of a design unknown during the Nazi era, possibly placing them in the "fantasy" category. To create at least three postwar variations of this knot seems unusual, but cannot be ruled out. Some "well-known" dealers do not hesitate to advertise them as authentic SS, but without provenance. Their source remains a mystery, or, at least, concealed. If they are of postwar manufacture, it should not be that difficult to determine, for those with connections in the hobby in Europe and elsewhere.
They are worth what anyone is willing to pay for them. I only quote the prices based upon what I have seen them priced at by some dealers. I bought one for $20 from a collector. If someone gets one for free are they valueless??? LoL cheers, Ryan
