UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SS Dagger Forum SS Dagger/Sword Market is cooling down????

After checking out the for sale section I see several VERY nice early SS EM's for under 3K and no takers?? I also noticed that many of the major dealers have several SS chained and EM & swords that are not moving at all. Wow could it be true SS daggers are not as hot as they once were? Looks like the bubble has popped!

Careful! If Houston sees this thread he is bound to brand you the new FORUM FUNNY MAN. Here's the thread just a mere three months ago:

http://daggers.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/217096573/...790060014#8790060014

This horse was beaten to death in the "militaria prices sustainable" thread in community forum. There was an awful lot of rhetoric but the fact is that there is a limit to what poeople will pay, or is even affordable to most collectors & it seems to have been reached. Not much high end stuff is moving off the dealer sites & that is a fact.

All markets move up and down. They all take a breather at some point. Look at vehicles. A few years back, dealers were selling them as soon as they came off the trailer. Now, they are begging people to buy. The same holds true of the stock market, housing market, etc. The economy is not bad now, but there are uncertainties about it and the political outlook as well. Then, there are the horrendous gas prices. Uncertainty and uneasiness tends to make people more reluctant to spend, especially on "non-essentials." I suspect the SS collectibles will hold their own over time. They may have just "plateaued" for now. Sellers need to adjust their thinking and pricing in such times. If they don't, they shouldn't complain about the merchandise not moving.

I think you hit the nail on the head Grumpy.

Seems like dealers will try to sqeeze out every last bit of cash from a piece and if a particular item is popular then the sky is the limit. One example is in reference to a posting on the sword forum in regards to police swords with SS markings. These are not that special but hyped by dealers. Another example is on a major dealers web site. It lists a SS M36,type 1 chained. Not mint, and asking $9995. I'a, I missing somthing here?

No youre not. Its because people with money to spend do, no matter what the cost.The hope is its a viable investment.However the higher the price the smaller the market.Those dealers who sell high tend to have a small group of steady clients and the occaisional fool who mortgages his home and wrecks his marriage to have anything.
Dont get me wrong these are valuable collectables but the current pricing is way overboard.The thought is that everythig must be sold at double or triple what you pay for it.Dealers no longer find the deals they used to so its difficult to make enough on an item to refill the stock without the mark-up.A tunic for example that was being offered by one dealer for $8500 was traded to another dealer who now asks $9500 this $1000 price increase in a two month time period? Was there a sudden demand for them,no, because every high priced on on the market is sitting. So supply and demand is not a factor nor is time,nor is rarity since there are a few being offered at one time.It probably would have sold for $7500 but even that is a steep price.
This is because some people sold them 25 years ago at these prices to the well off,but that dealer had a long established name and seems to get all the same tunics back after the buyers get tired of them and cant sell them to someone else for that money.

Fact: many "dealers" rarely lower a price after it is set. Why would they lower thier prices? This would lower what they "think" what a dagger will fetch. It may or may not. Why is it that some of the major dealers have ultra rare items that NEVER sell? It's because some dealers have priced them selves out of the market. Some dealers are trying to set the market by inflating dagger prices. JUST like gas prices! So one can shoot for the moon w/ high prices.......... but most miss! Nothing wrong with it, I just think its silly to sit on an item for months or years due to an overpriced item....I like cash flow, not slow moving high $ inventory!

It also depense for what collectors are looking for.

High gas prices? I would welcome you to a Europe trip with a visit that goes to a gas station with 1.33 euro for the liter and a 19% tax rate for anything in the gasoline store in 2007. Then is also a 25% higher euro/$ USD exchange rate.

My .02 cents... I think there is somewhat of a seasonal swing. It is summer now and my interest and attention to my collecting tends to cool off, as there are so many other things going on for me. Kids out of school, family vacations, fishing, etc, etc, etc. I bet it picks up again in the fall.... Come to think of it, I have not visited this forum for a few weeks until just now! Does this theory make sense to anyone? It might just be a good time to be doing some buying...

Hi Erich!
I agree, during the summer people are more interested in cars and boats. Around September antiques pick up again and keep increasing in activity until the next summer. As an example look at the number of people on the forums.
Best Wishes,
Bob

So what is the going price for a nice ss officer's sword these days? Say a Krebs marked example in very nice condition.

In the UK,you are talking $7000 for early nickel silver with portepee
Seiler (Yank in UK)

Doug, I may be wrong, but I suspect an SS officer's sword is one item that is probably holding its own as far as the market is concerned. I would guess a nice one, as you describe, conservatively, would be in the $5000 to $6500 range. A "Dachau" type with portepee in "minty" condition recently sold at auction for around $7500 (including commission). The exact condition and whether it has an original portepee attached would have a bearing on the price. They are truly scarce and seem to be in high demand, even in a "cool" market. Of course, you never know when you might get lucky and find one much lower at an auction, estate sale, antique store, pawn shop, etc. Locating one can be difficult and they seem to be snapped up pretty quickly.

Take that back!
Try $8500!!!!!!
Seiler (Yank in UK)

This is another item that seems to be virtually off the market right now. If memory served me correctly there were less tnan 1/2 dozen of these for sale at the SOS earlier this year and the prices were in line with what's quoted above.
Jim

For all the good reasons stated above by members, all should beware of fakes and conversions of this sword. As has been noted many times, it is simple to convert a police sword with a reproduction grip or by removing the eagle and inserting an SS disc. It would require minimal work to make it look "right." Although authentic SS swords assembled with plated hilt parts apprently exist, extreme caution should be exercised in buying one. The early nickel-silver models that still have the cap on the tang are by far the safest, but tend to be the most expensive. The "Muller" or "Dachau" type is easily identifiable and is authentic, but there are those who believe some were made/assembled after the war.

Yes they are much more "rare" than the daggers, thus the higher prices. I know a major dealer that was selling a NM early SS officers sword for 8k, his comment was "ya I know its stupid money" demand is what is driving the prices up, be paitent, they will cool down.

There are so expensive, I don't even look at them anymore. I sold my SS EM and my SS chain five years ago. I must say it is the biggest mistake I ever made in this hobby. If I could have predicted the future, I would have kept them. With today's prices they are now out of reach.

I have developped an interest in luft and navy stuff, both daggers and badges. I must say I am happy with my collection.

you guys just dont get it, the good high end stuff usually never makes it to a web sight, i know i have wittman craig johnson gailen and many others on speed dial

There has always been a seasonality to the hobby...a good number of collectors in Europe will take an entire month off and go on holiday for example. I always notice a drop in the quanity of sales this time of year, but it is a great time to buy. You can even notice fewer postings on all of the forums.

As for SS dagger prices I spoke to a fellow who restores daggers and he told me he had 3 SA grips on hand that he was turning into SS grips-he mentioned that he could do it perfectly...so that will explain any price ceiling there.

Johnny