UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories The Honor Ring Forum My Favorite SS rings!

I have had this a very long while. Came in a Willarath box and had a gold band in it. Both have a nice tone and wear to them.

What makes this my favorite is the band: Heil and Hitler and a nice glassy cartouche..

This will be going to a lucky new owner as he has been wanting a number of years and always said I'd go to him 1st to start saving his silver!

I remember I showed photos of it to grandpa Wilm when I used to write him. He loved it! Said it was probably 29 to 33..


The gold band... Has the content [333]. ,,and a number 33 [date] a set of initials,,and a Life Rune!! Photos don't show it good but its there [ in Red ].. What could the 33 date and life rune be? The day he went into the SS? A birth? a marrage? Or ??


Of course, anyone is welcomed to add/ show their SS rings...........

a few other SS rings I've had that now in another collection making someone Very happy!

I had it confirmed years ago,,,all rings very early,,and all from Wilm except the bottom ring with offset runes..

Wow! Stunning rings G.

Thanks Stephen,. Yes stunning. Sorry to see them all go.. But the new collectors have nothing to go after. They all went to the same young collector a little at a time. He had asked me years ago and told him these are not cheapies. He saved and bought thru the last few years.


ALL SS & SA rings are very early and rare.. Very few sold after 33.. There are a few other patterns and a few variants and thats it...

Runes are so uneven and wavy

Hello G!
Are you sure that first ring with runes - original ?
Yes, wavy line of runes

Heil Hitler ring is fine..I have had it in my collection for over 30 years and came from a good source.. Might be the photos. The Runes are flat to surface and has black glassy enamel.. Has a slight wear to upper left corner.. Ring is buttery smooth and finely polished inner band.. In a Willarath box.

I had shown Mr. Wilm photos of this ring when we were pen pals. He had though it was very early, probably 1920s. I checked the law for saying 'Heil Hitler' and is indeed the 1920s

c ] It was officially adopted by the Nazi Party in 1926, although it had been used within the party as early as 1921, [ 4 ] to signal obedience to the party's leader, Adolf Hitler, and to glorify the German nation (and later the German war effort).



Some facts on SS Runic rings..- SS runic rings. Most think the Runes should be straight up and down. But many are on a slant / offset.. I don't have it anymore but the Runic ring with skulls on side only came with offset runes.. ALL SS rings have a Black glass enamel to them . Only different pattern would be the Latvian SS ring which has red in it.. I might have photos of those rings in my files and will post if I can find them..

In the mean while,,,,any member have a Black glass SS runic ring? Please,,we would all like to see them and add them to this topic..

I had a pattern like this but sold it a few years ago..

Some call this a 'SS with Skulls ring'.



This one always look for the offset runes with this pattern,,black glass enamel...... This example has enamel on the side where the skulls are. Not all have enamel there..

,,,I have never owned this particular pattern..


Also an early ring. There are adverts for this one, and have seen an 'in wear' photo... Silver with black glass enamel..

this is another very early SS enamel runic ring.

This pattern has period advertisements. Has a very shallow cartouche field, appears to be silver. Also known for its offset runes. That is all the information I have on this pattern. Anyone have it?

Please feel free to add your SS black enamel rings!

- Here's a nice early art deco style SS ring. These were in silver with black enamel....

The SS organization appeared in 1933, so the ring cannot be earlier than this date.

"The SS organization appeared in 1933, so the ring cannot be earlier than this date."

I thought about 1925 ??

Hitler came to power in 1933. The SS had been around for years before then, acting as a small guard unit for party meetings. It was reorganised and named the Schutz Staffel (SS) in 1925.

U wanna say, that SS runes was from 1925 ?

They started way early than that... 1933 was when Hitler took full power:


https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/ss

There was also a varity of emblems used . Some official and some unofficial... Eventually the unofficial emblems got approved and by 1933 came the 'Kitch' law we were discussing in another topic..


Also this:

"The esoteric insignia of the Schutzstaffel (known in German as the SS-Runen) were used from the 1920s to 1945 on Schutzstaffel (SS) flags, uniforms and other items as symbols of various aspects of Nazi ideology and Germanic mysticism. They also represented virtues seen as desirable in SS members, and were based on völkisch mystic Guido von List's pseudo-runic Armanen runes, which he loosely based on the historical runic alphabets. Some of these insignias continue to be used by neo-Nazi individuals and groups."


The Swastika came official in 1920... But it was official only to the party not for Germany!

The gold band.... Why the Life rune and the 33,,,I do not know.. Maybe used as his wedding band and the year he got married. Or,, when a child was born , Or to celebrate when the nazis came into power... I've asked and asked and was never able to find out...

- Here is another very rare to find SS ring. In silver, pressed, with black enamel... I have never owned one but had the chance to handle one years ago that sadly was not for sale. The ring appeared to be period.....

- Another photo of a dug example with all the enamel out....


There is a chance this might have been an early concentration camp made piece.. There is a very famous book written where one of the SS officers take a Jewish silver smith prisoner and has him make all sorts of silver items for his men. One of them being a ring with a life rune and skull!

I've written the author back in the 1980s 2 times, and the publisher, but never received an answer if it had SS runes to front or not.. I might include quotes of this in my project. Not sure yet as its still my own conjecture....

I have some other examples but can't show them as only have permission to use for my project...


Anyone have a black enamel SS ring to show? Even if one of the patterns already shown..

The round ring with the uncommon runes. That came in another scale! So one a regular size and the other is exactly the same but smaller scale.. [there are other patterns that are like that ]
For kids? for a woman? I've never found out why.

Another I've never had but did get to inspect one in hand.

The rare and great looking SS Latvian Legion ring.

That’s a beauty!! Never seen a real one in person , only in pictures such as this!

[quote=Gaspare]They started way early than that...

Here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esoteric_insignia_of_the_Schutzstaffel here it is said that the double rune ss as we know it appeared in 1933

C'mon man...
"The esoteric insignia of the Schutzstaffel (known in German as the SS-Runen) were used from the 1920s to 1945 on Schutzstaffel (SS) flags"

W. Heck [I think ] 'approved' the runes for official wear nationally as that is when Hitler was elected Chancellor. But was worn and used way before that..

* From your link :

- The esoteric insignia of the Schutzstaffel (known in German as the SS-Runen) were used from the 1920s to 1945 on Schutzstaffel (SS) flags, uniforms and other items as symbols of various aspects of Nazi ideology and Germanic mysticism. They also represented virtues seen as desirable in SS members, and were based on völkisch mystic Guido von List's pseudo-runic Armanen runes, which he loosely based on the historical runic alphabets.

I think the debate here is around: 1. when were the sig runes first used on (unofficial) rings, brooches, and other jewellery; and 2. when were the runes officially adopted by the SS? There might be two different dates.

In 1925 Hitler ordered the formation of a new body guard, the SS (initially called Schutzkommando, then Sturmstaffel and, finally, Schutzstaffel i.e., SS). It was first formed by Julius Schreck in 1925 as a subsection of the SA.

The first official use of the sig runes by the SS was in 1933 when they were adopted as unit insignia by the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. The main sponsor behind this appears to have been Sepp Dietrich. From 1934, the sig runes were adopted by other SS units such as the emerging Waffen SS. As we know, these runes eventually became the main symbol of the whole SS.

So... Does anyone have a period photo from 1925-1933 showing SS runes on jewellery? Does anyone have an ad for an SS ring with sig runes that can be dated to before 1933? I know that Gaspare has posted a few ads showing SS rings but I recall that these were from 1933-34. That might help resolve the question here. Remember too that it was illegal to use party insignia (including SS symbols) on 'kitsch' after the law of 1934 was enacted.

Finally, I think that we should be wary of always citing Wikipedia as a source. Who knows who writes much of it. The above information is from a book first published in 1994: Cook, S and Bender, R.J. (1994). Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler: Uniforms, Organization, & History. San Jose, CA: R. James Bender. ISBN 978-0-912138-55-8.

- Lets not get hung up on collar tabs.. The runes were in use before 33.. Here's a newspaper from the US dated 1933 and already shows Runes..

* - By 33/34 all Nazi emblems could not be used on Kitch period. We have seen here where they got to the point, they went to shops confiscating the pieces!


The 'Heil Hitler'. :

"Heil, mein Führer!" ('Hail, my leader!'), or "Sieg Heil!" ('Hail victory!').[c] It was officially adopted by the Nazi Party in 1926, although it had been used within the party as early as 1921,[4] to signal obedience to the party's leader, Adolf Hitler, and to glorify the German nation (and later the German war effort"

So we have a ring made before 33 and probably a late 20s, 30, produced.. Wilms first pattern Skull over SS ring [ pirate skull ] was also a late 20s piece according to him.. The 2nd pattern [reminicent of Bone crusher skull ] only made a couple years and is actually just as rare as 1st pattern...


- * In actuality and by law all the rings above were made before 1933............

Exactly!
I just don't see any direct evidence that the ring at the beginning of the topic can be attributed to the period BEFORE 1933.
I haven't seen anything that would indicate that this ring was issued before 1933...
I gave the example that officially, the double ss rune was adopted in 1933, I haven't seen any data that it was earlier, so I think that the arguments are not convincing

Evgeniy,,, Just collar tabs started then.. Unit flags and other items used SS runes unofficially because Hitler did not come into power until 33..

Shown on the forum here it was illegal to sell rings with SS runes , Swastikas and other organizational emblems from 1933.. So by law none could be sold in 1933 forward. ALL the rings above would have been made before 1933 . In 1933 they would have been illegal to make and sell..


- The esoteric insignia of the Schutzstaffel (known in German as the SS-Runen) were used from the 1920s to 1945 on Schutzstaffel (SS) flags, uniforms and other items as symbols of various aspects of Nazi ideology and Germanic mysticism. They also represented virtues seen as desirable in SS members, and were based on völkisch mystic Guido von List's pseudo-runic Armanen runes, which he loosely based on the historical runic alphabets.


These fobs were made before 1933. And,, were illegal to sell in 1933 forward..

I am not entirely sure about the authenticity of these keychains.
The SS sign on the keychain looks like it came from a dagger handle.
I also think that rings with SS symbols and other attributes of the Reich continued to be made after 1933.
Because there are a lot of these items and it would be unreasonable to think that they all stopped being made after 1933.
There are a lot of SS rings (with SS runes), but SA rings are really few in use, I think this is connected precisely with the defeat of this organization in 1935.
The publication of laws and prohibitions does not mean their 100% implementation IMO

- E. , The watch fobs are authentic. I have seen them in period catalogs...

- we have this topic about the law in 1933 below.

https://forum.germandaggers.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=359987&page=1

As we read in the topic the German Police was already raiding shops that sold these types of items [to include rings ] .. They left skull rings as the Hussars before the 3rd reich wore them and others dating way further back.... I have employed a Translator and have sent him a few articles already explaining the law of 33 and not to produce or sell items with Swastikas , RR runes and the other nazi organizations..... -

And I agree wwith you,,most collectors don't realize that a SA ring is rare. Between the 33 law and the disfavor the SA fell in to finding a authentic SA is very hard... Well this has been great friend. This is what the forum is about. To air out our opinions and exchange information.. Thank you..

- * NOW,,,,,Doesn't any member have a SS ring of any type they'd like to share with us!! Please do!..

I'll show my 2 rings a little bit later, just now in holiday

P.S. I doubt the limited production time because these rings are almost 100 years old (rounded up), rings with SS runes should have been more worn, but almost all of them are in very good condition and sometimes even in better condition than other rings. Moreover, I know for sure that rings with SS runes were also produced in the occupied territories, there was an SS ring with a sword stamp - this is Dutch production, these rings could therefore have been produced in the occupied territories

- Evgeniy, Yes 100% , Foreign produced and sold like the Latvian SS Legion ring etc. was exempt from the law...

As far as wear. We must remember that during the propaganda times some rings were bought by SS for their sons, Fathers and we have even seen women's patterns.. Most shown above have good natural wear. Some could have been presents to SS men and they just didn't wear them much... Some people are ring wearers and some are not..

Most ring collectors have but maybe one 'Blackie' [ black enamel runic ring ]... Some guys have a few... I've been collecting since 1976 and have had 8 Blackies [ 6 shown here ].. I'm very glad others are now enjoying them. . I'm keeping my first on,e a damaged example, and maybe one more...
There are collectors that have many.. I think we have a member whos name starts with an 'A' that probably has a few really good ones', maybe he'll post one or 2

Eventually we'll get to other hard ones [rare] as you mentioned Evgeniy SA rings. They are hard to find, rare! Many probably discarded after the Night of the Long Knives. etc.

By 33/34 all Nazi emblems could not be used on Kitch period

Shown on the forum here it was illegal to sell rings with SS runes , Swastikas and other organizational emblems from 1933.. So by law none could be sold in 1933 forward. ALL the rings above would have been made before 1933 . In 1933 they would have been illegal to make and sell..

These fobs were made before 1933. And,, were illegal to sell in 1933 forward



I respectfully have to disagree once again on these statements. These items could be sold and were sold even from 1933 and after as long as you received permission from the local district police.

I reiterate, some of these items mentioned were approved for sale. A lot of rings with swaz, watch fobs, pendants some gold with diamonds, very nice pens in silver, yes pens lol, some cig cases, tie clips and stick pins, SS and SA rings. All approved for sale and all required approval for sale. On the watch fobs you could mix and match the different bars and chains some of course more decorative. This was just to mention a few more items but a lot more got approved. A lot got disapproved as well. Best!

Well Mikee we can agree to disagree to a point... I've been working with a translator the last few months.. I've sent him many an article about the sale of kitch.

I do agree that in a couple of them it says IF, if you get permission... After the propaganda minister Gobbels and heads of other organizations speeches/articles about not wanted anything approved its tough to say Kitch items were widely sold.... I understand from retailers at the time that IF you had a large stock of items and you paid enough to the party you'd be able to sell them until gone..
Seems the most prevalent rings were the Labor and Luftwaffe rings.... Skulls were always allowed as were WW rings. By 1944 I'd say the German people had better things to do then spend money on rings anyway! SA rings,,I don't know of many who'd want one after 34 Night of Long Knives.

As far as SS. I had every issue of the SS newspaper searched for drawings of rings for sale and advertisements.... There appeared only one. In 1935 there was a very small advert that had rings listed. It was not seen in the next issue and any forward.. Some got around these laws by having rings made in Axis / Collaborating countries and these worked their way into Germany...

Something else a bit weird. I have more than one advert where a drawing was shown of a ring, pin, etc etc. was never made. One advert even says " The dies are made and waiting for orders" but this too was very early...

- So, did some find their way into the market,,sure.......

Hey G,

I have already read and translated this law a long time ago. You have to go by this law and you have to research the makers who made these items and what they did to sell these items during this period in time.
You are contradicting yourself. First you say they were not sold period from 33 forward and now you say they did. I know for a fact that makers received permission for these items mentioned for sale utilizing this law. So for me, no agree to disagree because it's fact. Best!

Well, during Prohibition in the US, it was illegal to make and buy alcoholic beverages. That didn't stop many, many people from doing both. Perhaps a similar situation existed in Third Reich Germany with regards to 'kitsch'. If there is demand, people will always find ways to meet it.
Stephen

Mikee,, no contradictions... The law was the law... Did some skirt the law?,,sure. The 3rd reich was corrupt as can be..


In GERMANY,, by the law, you were not supposed to sell items with the swastica , SS runes or any organizational emblems on them.. Out of the 5 or so different articles of the law that have been translated a few do say IF, if you got permission..

A German pen pal from the early 90s until 2004 of mine, a pretty famous jeweler had mentioned that if some retailers had a large stock and paying enough bribe money would probably be able to sell what they had on hand.. - His family did not sell any nazi kitch but only working dies to those that really wanted them.

- . Because of the super large membership of the RAD, and Luftwaffe pre war those were the most prevalent ring in stocks still being sold..

- Skulls were always sold as they were worn WW1 and before. WW rings also were sold but an article mentions that they expressly do not mean the person was awarded the WW medal and better if they did not buy them..

SS. The SS put out their own articles of the law forbidding the sale of SS rings.. They didn't want them sold period. How was it some SS rings were sold after 33?.. simply they were made in other countries sold under the counter [?] or in the collaborating country..

There were very strict laws in Germany saying all silver items had to be properly hallmarked. This law was abolished by A.H. in 1933 also. There was no protections of designs etc. and all that went out the window when Hitler came to power..


* I can't wait to see your facts about SS rings being sold much after 33 in Germany.................

G, Let me answer some of your statements first.

1.) In GERMANY,, by the law, you were not supposed to sell items with the swastica , SS runes or any organizational emblems on them.. Out of the 5 or so different articles of the law that have been translated a few do say IF, if you got permission..

My answer:
Article I of the "Law for the protection of national symbols" 19 May 1933 states; It is forbidden to use the symbols of German history, the German state and the national
revolution in any way which "MIGHT LESSON THE DIGNITY OF THESE SYMBOLS".

In other words it's not forbidden as long as it's in good taste, well made and approved by the proper authority. No where in this law does it state "if you got permission". So I don't know what articles/laws you are speaking about, but it goes without saying that makers did need approval to sell these products. Articles appeared in newspapers with lists of approved and objectionable items, to keep everyone informed on changes.

Article 2 states: The higher administration authority of the place of manufacture is to decide whether an object is liable to infringe on article 1

Article 4 states in brief: How to appeal decisions.

Article 9 states in brief: Punishment you can receive if you purposely but these items into circulation.

I will but the entire law in English translation on this thread as well as the directives if you like.

Answer:
Items that you state were forbidden period to make and sell after 1933 some were actually approved for sell.

2.) Skulls were always sold as they were worn WW1 and before. WW rings also were sold but an article mentions that they expressly do not mean the person was awarded the WW medal and better if they did not buy them..

Answer:
I would like to see the article first before I respond. Post it so I can read it.

3.) SS. The SS put out their own articles of the law forbidding the sale of SS rings.. They didn't want them sold period. How was it some SS rings were sold after 33?.. simply they were made in other countries sold under the counter [?] or in the collaborating country..

Answer:
I would like to see the articles first before I respond. Post it so I can read it.

4.) How was it some SS rings were sold after 33?

Answer:
Because some makers got approval from the proper authority.

5.) There were very strict laws in Germany saying all silver items had to be properly hallmarked. This law was abolished by A.H. in 1933 also. There was no protections of designs etc. and all that went out the window when Hitler came to power.

Answer:
What silver laws are you speaking of, before 1886 or after? The silver laws after 1886 are very forgiving and much better then the laws before 1886. No true hallmarking, no assay offices. Hope they never change.

Mikee you are translating from probably is one article about banning kitsch for sale.. I have at least 7 different ones and had about half translated already.. The later the article the more stricter it was..


- The article about the Skull rings being allowed for sale is here on GDC" How strict was the law".. It stated that the German Police raided a shop in Germany and confiscated all kitsch with the exception of skull rings because they state they have been worn by the Hussars and before..

- Some of the printed laws have the provision you can appeal , you can request items back.. Some jewelers that were lucky enough and wanted to pay the fines to get anything back was because they appealed that the rings were silver and wanted them back to reclaim the material. That is to melt down for other use..

- The SS article I have 2. one very early,, one a bit later.. Those and the others I have paid for years ago and they will not be shown until my project is done...

- The Translator is a member here and IF he wishes to reveal himself that is fine, he can attest to the 2 SS articles but does not have permission to show them here..

All will soon be revealed...