This is just a wonderful find. Price is too low in my opinion but a sign of the times I guess:
EARLY SS HONOR RING
A truly one-of-a kind item, the earliest German World War II "honor ring" obtainable anywhere today. The ring, heavily worn on its face, is engraved within the band: "Seinem Lb. Benson 24 .XII.33. H. Himmler" ("My Dear Benson Dec. 24, 1933"). According to honor ring expert Donald Boyle, who has personally inspected this ring, "...it is one of only a few of the first issued Honor Rings, being given by Himmler as a present on December 24, 1933 and is only one of three know to exist in the world at this present time, with one to Karl Wolff have been stolen in the USA about ten years ago and the other brought back by a GI whose wife took the skull off and replaced it with a diamond and the current owner having made a copy skull to try and bring it back to some sense of originality...". Therefore, this ring is unique in that it is the only one obtainable, unaltered, and one of only three known to even exist from this early date. It is also unique in that it is the sole example to have used the complete word "Seinem" in the inscription, versus the usual abbreviation "S.". It was only after 1933 that these rings became an offical award, made with a presentation document. The recipient of the ring was Kurt Benson. Benson was a merchant and after World War I he joined the Freikorps Oberland and Frontbann. In 1925 he became a member of the NSDAP (member 19,227). From 1926 to 1929 he was a member of the SA and August, 1929 he became SS member 1,642. While serving in the Konigsberg SS, Benson was promoted several times and on Dec. 16, 1933 was chosen to head the 18th SS Regiment. On June 30, 1935 Benson assumed command of SS section IV in Hanover. Benson also directed SS operation on "Kristallnacht", and continued those activities for days after. Upon the outbreak of war, Benson, a reserve lieutenant, was activated and was employed at Dunkirk, later killed in 1942 at Lake Ilman, south of Leningrad. An incredible find and a "must have" for the devoted collector.
Estimate $ 8,000-10,000
