UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SS Dagger Forum SS Honor dagger

I think it was worth $50,000 and gave him my opinion. Chips his own man and makes his own decisions. I know who bought it but had nothing to do with it's sale. Chip is well known and doesn't need me to sell his items. I don't know if the buyer is a memeber of this forum or not.

Gailen David

If I was going to lay out $40k I would go for the
SA High Leader w/ Damascus Blade and Chain. Just
my choice though, to each his own.

I know now that if I every see a plain blade honor dagger at a garage sale for $175.00.I will buy it.

Well, you just have to look at the rarity of the piece compared with the SA model. If you have enough money then why not have both. I'm happy for the seller and the buyer.

Gailen David

Personally I'd keep on saving until I had the money for a damascus bladed SS Honor rather than take the half price plain blade option, what is the point in taking a plain bladed high leader ? From an investment/future resale point I'd want to put my pot of gold into a 'sure fire' piece.

As JR has already pointed out, the piece appears to be equipped with a ground Rohm blade. Whilst I'm not saying this isn't an original put together, it's enough of an anomaly to make me stop and wonder..

I'm sure if I had all the money in the world, didn't need to consider future resale potential, and was looking for a full type set of SS Honor daggers then I'd accept the ground Rohm blade and buy it to complement the oakleaf and panelled scabbard versions and the chained piece, but sadly I'm not in that category.

Jonathan

ja ja die Damsast SS Honor daggers

I find it odd that none of the experts who. have held and have seen the dagger .Have not said if it is or is not a Rohm dagger and why it was not advertised, or in the reference books as such?.Daggers that need too be explained bother me.It is the buyer that needs to be happy with the purchase no matter what the experts say or do not say.If the the owner is happy with it,more power to him.Remember this, "All daggers are equal,but some are more equal than others"

Zorro: Please don't get to bothered since you didn't buy it. Not everything in this hobby can be or will be explained to your satisfaction. You have a very nice writing style and pick your words wisely. For that I commend you.

Gailen David

Is it a Rohm or not? Your the expert.

Factory Ground, Gailen ?

Zorro: It is a Rohm and I never said I'm an expert.

Gailen David

One possible explanation is the blade was an unissued one in inventory at Eickhorn. The inscription was ground off at the factory and used on the honor dagger. The Germans, as was most of the world, at that time were ultraconservative when it came to "making do." The economy in Germany was suffering terribly. I'm sure they had no concept of a "throw away" society. If such did occur, that would likely date the dagger to late 1934 to early 1935. Before a new barrage of posts saying I'm wrong comes in, I will note, again, this is speculation only, but certainly within the realm of possibility.

Yep.

Gailen

Thanks ,I was starting to feel like Pontius Pilate and thats not good.Go to the firearm and Luger forums.The guys there will be glad to tell you why the Germans would never use old parts.As I have been told many times "Why would they" Oh well,I guess it is all in what you want to believe.This has been a fun discussion.

I'll go a step further and say how do we know that the family didn't give his original blade from his issue SS dagger and have it fitted to his Honor Dagger before it was presented? The grip on this example has the correct coin silver eagle which was used on these SS Honor Daggers. Thats important to see. It was also used on the early SA Honor Daggers.

Gailen David

were honour daggers presented or did the have to be purchased by the recipient?

Presented, they could not be purchased.

Gailen David

Grumpy..that is an interesting theory,and i suppose anything is possible.It is just that Eickhorn was such a big concern and if they were in the business of supplying honour daggers to the Nazis ( one of their biggest clients..) i just can't see them nickle and diming on a blade when the whole point of an honour dagger is to honour someone with a quality presentation piece.

I think it is difficult, if not impossible, to place ourselves in the state of mind of the Germans in the early 1930's. Honestly, I believe there would have to be something very seriously wrong with a dagger or its components for it to be rejected or discarded. Look at even the earlier political daggers with offset eagles and grip buttons. Some have poorly etched or poorly centered mottos and trademarks. Some blade to crossguard and grip to crossguards fits are poor. These minor deficiencies can even been found on some "Himmler's" and "Rohm's." I agree you would think they would want an honor dagger to be near perfection, but we are viewing things from today's collector's perspective, after daggers have been scrutinized, compared and examined to the "nth" degree. Probably, during the period, few would notice or care if the reverse of a blade was a tiny bit wavy. The presentation and receipt of such a dagger would have been the central idea. There are, no doubt, other explanations as regards this particular dagger. No one will ever know its true history.

As collectors, we give the Germans way too much credit for how we feel they should have viewed and valued these daggers. To show you exactly how much stock the Germans put in the quality of their Damascus Honor Daggers, look at the grip eagle in the later SA Chain Honor Dagger. These eagles are the potmetal, grey, poor quality grip eagles used in the late war SAs. So don't tell me how the Germans would value their prized Honor Daggers. It just doesn't make sense to feel these were super quality or best only examples.
Also, look at the Feldherrnhalle Dagger. Not a product of war production nor from a period of material shortage, but still a poor quality dagger for a special unit and occassion item in my opinion.
Again, I don't think they valued the daggers as much as we do.
JMO,
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

given for free or paid for???

In my opinion things get a little desperate when you need to defend and explain a usd 40,000 dagger, this absolutely shouldn't be the case.

Jonathan

And it shouldn't matter if it sold in 8 hours for $40,000 or in 5 minutes for $100,000. And there are several collectors known to me on this forum who can write a check for it with no problem.
But they didn't and someone else did. Does that make it Right?! Is it all about the money?!
If someone pays it then it must be right?
In my opinion, is what I was told as a kid...""The money is in the blade". And for me, I don't want a ground Rohm regular blade on my $40,000 Honor Dagger. But the buyer did. And I'm glad he's happy. He's lucky he got a deal on a rare dagger and didn't have to pay $50,000.
-wagner-

I know from a very good source that a forum member did buy this dagger. Because that member is me.

I have purchased several rare and wonderful daggers from Chip and have been pleased as punch with them all. This is the single most expensive piece that I have purchased and it was quite a stretch for sure. I bought it based on Chip's reputation, on its provenance and on the recommendation of some very good people, also members of this forum.

I have not yet held it in my hands (and am not expert enough anyway to be able to determine what it is that I would be holding ;>)

But, I am proud to be able to tell you that it is mine.

John

Pleased for you.As long as you are happy thats what counts.Well done.
Cheers
Seiler (Yank in UK)

Congratulations John.

Good for you John. There are a lot of jealous people in this hobby and sour grapes tend to be their only way of handling the fact that they can't participate in the higher end game.
JMO,
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

When you get into those stratospheric prices, it is definitively a "rich man" game and becomes a highly exclusive niche for only a handful of individuals.
What's really important is to be happy with what you have and with what you can afford...............that's all that counts.
That said, I congratulate John on a fine dagger that would likely be the highlight of any advanced collection.

Go, go, go Canada !

John, if you're happy with your new purchase then ultimately that is what matters, I still love mine to bits

Jonathan

Ron: You think that's what it is??? I hadn't, for the life of me, been able to figure it out.


Gailen

Jonathan: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Gailen

CONGRATS JOHN POST SOME PICS OF THAT BEAUTY WHEN YOU GET IT IM NEW AT THIS, SO THE HONOR DAGEER DAMASCUS THING IS FASCINATING THANKS

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKkkEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE What a screamer Jonathan!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jonathan, that's an amazing SS Honor dagger.
I'm definitively enviouuuuuuuuuuuuuuus.

Johnathan, Super! I just love this damascus stuff. When you get into it, it really grows on you. My Navy Shooting Prize is one of my favorites with the three line dedication is just stunning. All in all, they are some of the best TR collectibles in my opinion.
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

Guys, I am not a rich man. I have had to mortgage my first born son to be able to buy this dagger and I would never be able to mortgage him again (or the wife, for that matter) to be able to buy one as good as Jonathan's.

That being said, I am very happy and pleased with the feedback from all of you on the forum.

This is what the hobby is all about, IMHO. Support, feedback and learning.

John

Jonathan, I've been standing on my head to look at that blade since you posted the photo, so I turned it around...........

ha ha, i know my photography skills aren't quite there yet...will practice a little more when that sword i mentioned to you turns up

jonathan

quote:

As collectors, we give the Germans way too much credit for how we feel they should have viewed and valued these daggers. To show you exactly how much stock the Germans put in the quality of their Damascus Honor Daggers, look at the grip eagle in the later SA Chain Honor Dagger. These eagles are the potmetal, grey, poor quality grip eagles used in the late war SAs. So don't tell me how the Germans would value their prized Honor Daggers. It just doesn't make sense to feel these were super quality or best only examples.

Ron, did they have to use any recycled HJ blades on your Navy Shooting Prize Dagger ?? Sorry, I just had to toss tha one in. Perhaps you can post it in the Army Navy forum as no doubt it's a special dagger.

Congratulations John on your purchase of this rare SS dagger!
-wagner-