UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SS Dagger Forum SS Daggar, value ? and how much do the appreciate?

Hi I have an SS Daggar from my grandfather and was wondering how much it is worth and what the rate of appreciation on these are. I was offered around 4k for it, but have seen them sell for much more.

Here are some pics.
http://s471.photobucket.com/al...gsinger/SS%20Dagger/

Thanks!

Condition is a key factor when pricing such a dagger.
If I were you, I would accept his offer, $ 4000 is much too high for such a dagger, it has some condition issues.

Ok thanks. Looking back at the email, the offer was actually 3200, "possibly more if it looks better in the flesh".
How much would you say this is worth, judging by the pics. BTW the possible buyer was in EU, so I guess prices are higher over there than the States.

In today's market, $3200 is still a good selling price. It's difficult to place a fair msrket value on it without actually handling it, seeing photos only. As noted by Pat, there are condition problems, reducing the collector value. If you are intent on selling it, you might counteroffer $3500. The market on SS daggers is somewhat weak now, so that price range is realistic. Do not send the dagger "on approval," without full payment in advance. That the buyer says he might pay more if the dagger looks better when examined sounds a bit suspicious.

Thanks for the input Grumpy. The guy that I was corresponding with is from: http://www.germandaggerswanted.com/

I was definitely weary about sending him the dagger up front, although I couldnt find anything about the site being a scam.

Do you, or anybody here have any idea of how these Daggers will appreciate in time?
Obviously nobody can tell the future, and Im sure the economy has an effect on the market. But have the value on these steadily increased over the years? Not that thats really a sure indication, I mean look at baseball cards.

They are like any other collectible and most investments. Markets are unpredictable and tend to rise and fall. I would not venture to predict what any market will do, especially these days. A few years ago, there appeared to be no end in sight for German WWII items, price-wise. That is not the situation now. For the most part, with some exceptions, collectibles are stagnant. As has been said many times, collect because you enjoy it, not for investment purposes. I'm not familiar with the site you mention, but, anytime you send something for approval, especially overseas, you are taking many risks to suffer a total loss on it.

I am a collector of military daggers of all types and can confirm that prices are generaly a little higher in the UK than the US as I am British but moved stateside 8 years ago. However the buying prices quoted on the http://www.germandaggerswanted.com/ site appear to be a bit optomistic especialy as he is a dealer. I expect it is a "come on" and he will actualy want to give you far less than he says.

I do not have an SS, yet.

I would offer the following advice and thoughts:

Under no condition whatsoever send that dagger overseas without having the money upfront. Send all the pictures they want, but not the dagger.

$4000 for that dagger in that shape is probably on the high side of full retail value or above it. Depends what it looks like in person. If they will pay you $3500, I would take it, but cash the check first.

10 years ago you could have bought that dagger for about $1800 - $2000 here in the USA. Today ? $3000 - $3500 depending on the condition of the dagger and the leather hanger. The hanger in good shape is about $300. The future ? No price movement for a while in that shape, but those early ones have not been made since 1936 or so. SS dagger prices may stall, but do not go down.

Lastly, do NOT clean it or mess with it or shine up the metal bits. There is little you can do to increase value and a lot you can do to reduce it. Put light oil or wax on the blade. Put wax on the grip and the scabbard shell. Peek under the hanger at the back and look for green gunge forming between the leather and metal. If the leather is as strong as it looks, unbuckle the hanger and take it gently off.

questions: dave@germandaggers.com

Dave
Admin

Agree with Dave... dont send this any where without cash up front. You can imagine some of the Horror stories in this hobby.

If you want to sell it you will be better off spending a few dollars to go premium here and listing it for sale on this site. That way you will get the money up front.

Thanks for the advice guys.

As you can tell I dont know anything about these Daggers or other WWII memorabilia. I hadnt even thought about this Dagger in years until I was watching 'Pawn Stars' on the History channel, where a guy brought in some German knives. Until then it really never occured to me that it was worth much, and its just been haphazardly sitting in a box in my closet for years. Ive got to admit after poking around on this site and others, I definitely see the allure with these things. They are very cool pieces of history! Although I will probably still stick to acquring high end guitars, I definitely appreciate the one I have much more now.
Im not even sure how my Grandfather ended up with it since he was not in the war. It looks like there was a price sticker or something on the scabard so he might have just bought it from a shop.

Someone told me to put some olive oil on the blade, would that be ok? What kind of wax should I use? Is there anything I can do to increase the value?

I think Im just going to hold on to it for the indefinite future, but if I ever do decide to sell it, I will most likely do it here.

In this hobby, one thing is for sure that your collectible will never depreciate,, only if you are careless with it. Do as Dave says dont touch it. As time goes by so does the value go higher.
Even though it is not considered "Fine Art" by those who dont recognize the historical significance of it,,but it still remains in the same arena (antiques) for those who do collect it and see it as Art. True craftmanship is a form of art. In Modern times now, this craftmanship is absent from all things made. Most of the products made these days are "Junk".
Headees you have a great piece of history in your possession. Even though some will say there may be some faults with it,( no disrespect intended) which may be true but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and as long as you like it, thats all that matters
Nice to see a group mark III on the lower crossguard. Im so used to seeing alot of
Group I. Nice dagger!! Larry

quote:

Someone told me to put some olive oil on the blade, would that be ok? What kind of wax should I use? Is there anything I can do to increase the value?

Only put olive oil on the blade if you intend to use it for the pasta course.
All kidding aside; I like to use a hard paste wax on my daggers and I do the ouside hilt,scabbard and the blade as well. This seems to do a good job of protecting from environmental pollution as well as handling.
Jim

What is the difference between the I, II, and III? I would guess that I would be the most valuable, no?

Thanks I will check out hard paste wax.

quote:

Originally posted by headees:
What is the difference between the I, II, and III? I would guess that I would be the most valuable, no?

Thanks I will check out hard paste wax.

this will do the job for you.

http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/RenWax.html

Headees..there is no difference in the pricing according to whether it has I, II, or III on the crossguard.

They were just the areas that the daggers were distributed from originally.

I = Munich

II = Dresden

III = Berlin

Headees Doug is right there is no higher value on the group mark. Group mark I is most commonly seen then III and last seen rarely is II. The group markings along with the maker logo markings are interesting for those who are into "Type collecting"
It is interesting to see different combinations between SS and SA daggers with maker logos and Group markings. There are some daggers depending upon the individual that are rare to them, and might tag it as a desirable item. Some daggers are encountered with a rare logo and Group marking combination. IMO this is what makes collecting interesting, educational and fun!! Larry

I wonder why daggers with group 11 markings are seldom seen, is it
because this area fell under Russian occupation.
Regards
John

John, that's my guess as well. I have an SA dagger marked OST, which is pretty rare due to having been under Russian control at the end of the war.