Jim,
What was not really clear to me earlier was that it was a Dachau manufactured sword with a Solingen trademarked blade. If nothing else I now understand why you were advised to grind off the trademark. However, a permanent alteration like that is not something that (like yourself) I would do either. I don�t think that P.D. Luneschloss is an acknowledged maker of the German Police swords either, so I�m at a loss to explain the origin of the blade.
The Dachau made "SS Birthday Swords� - with the silver hilts made by Otto Gahr, Munich - have the �Kultur Zeichen� on the various silver fittings. They were made or presented at least as late as 1942. My sense of it is that like some Solingen made SS Honor Swords (with the �Kultur Zeichen� on the blades) that this trademarked presentation example would or should also have the SS marking on the blade - because it was made outside the control of the SS at Dachau.
I also like Dow�s idea of some better images of the etching (as I rediscovered to my dismay in the thread with Mark Avery�s Imperial officer�s sword
).
A mystery................
FP
