One mistake here is the assumption that "the collecting world" = "people participating in this thread." In reality, the collecting world is SO MUCH BIGGER than even forums, and without doubt this thread. It's obvious to most that great effort is NOT being expended to prove these daggers are real to the "collecting world" but to a small band of people who continue to ignore testimonial, photographic, and logical evidence. The day someone describes to me a theory that makes sense as to WHY some faker would take a box full of original SA Honor Daggers, deface them, and then "hide" them around the world for people to find their barnes, safe deposit boxes, and flower beds at no profit to himself - that is the day that I will start to listen to arguments about "how hallmarks should be."
As an aside, we often romanticize "the German way" with regard to manufacturing, and adherence to law in Germany. What we know is that the only law that mattered was Hitler, and that Germany was ANYTHING but a law-abiding society during the period of 1933-1945. We know that MANY silver items were NEVER hallmarked: consider the Totnekopf Ring. Even the blood order was ONLY silver-content marked. SS and SA Honor Dagger crossguards were not hallmarked either, so this notion that "hallmarks had to be a certain way" is not at ALL born out by the facts. And when you consider that these silver chains were no doubt custom made and not sold on the open market as manufactured goods, the situation begins to reveal itself as NOT at all "proven" by the small but vocal opposition to these pieces. Besides, I can think of several very logical explanations for why these chains might have ended up so-marked.
The sad thiing for me is to watch the burden of proof shifted by the opposition, every time new evidence surfaces. I was once challenged to "find a picture of one in wear" which I did. Then, I was told that since there was no provenance to back up these daggers, I set about finding good documented provenance that would please 99% of collectors, which I did. Then, I find one out of the woodwork actually named to a Brigadefuhrer in the NSKK, in the hands of the veteran's family. Someday, I feel that we'll locate written period documentation about these daggers (something we don't even have concerning things like Himmler daggers and Birthday Swords). When we do, will the opposition say something like, "Well, Huhnlein in his letter to Gahr must have been talking about another kind of dagger, because as all three of us know, the hallmarks on these examples are bad, so they can't be the ones Huhnlein was talking about."
It should also be noted that Gaspare, in an earlier post, stated this:
quote:
For those interested here is the law regarding the stamps to be used. After Hitler came into power this law was ignored for the most part and pieces were not being stamped 'Halbmond und Krone.'. Many makers continued to do so but from I've learned it was not mandatory..Smaller pieces didn't even have to be maker or content marked during the 3rd Reich period.
