I have a great deal of respect for Houston Coates. And especially his institutional knowledge which goes back long before I ever entered the dagger collecting scene. But I most respectfully think he is wrong. It is not a �black� vs. �white� or �old guard� vs. �new guard� situation.
It was Craig Gottleib who started the "Grip Color Theory" thread. Which was very long and hotly contested by especially some of the "old guard". In the end Craig was proven right. And there were some losers. The losers were the guys who paid exorbitant prices for "special order" orange (or whatever) color cast phenolic resin grips. The winners were all the guys who were next in line because they knew that the color change was just a natural phenomena. And those that followed them.
When the discussion regarding the supposed "private purchase"/personalized Luftwaffe daggers with the government acceptance markings surfaced. That also was hotly debated. Guys were paying sometimes significant additional dollars for daggers with coats of arms, initials, and names on them. The losers were all the guys who had already paid the extra dollars for the daggers - that in actuality were worth quite a bit less because they had been postwar altered.
And there are many, many, discussions where the "old guard" provides invaluable information to help both new and old collectors to make the right choices.
The two discussions mentioned above did not destroy the hobby. It�s true some guys got hurt. But the next guy in line did not because he knew better. And following generations of collectors will also benefit because they won't be paying extra money for �special orders� that don�t exist. Or for faked personalized daggers to put in their collections.
It�s not about choosing sides. It�s about establishing a baseline for those who are actively collecting now. And for those who will follow us.
Dave suggested establishing a baseline for what is known for certain. And what is conjecture concerning the NSKK daggers. I think that is an excellent suggestion and a good place to start. FP
