UBB.threads Forums General Interest Community Center Stolen Dagger Surfaces

Tom Wittmann, in the current "Banter" on his web site, mentions seeing the image of a stolen dagger at the SOS:


UP JUMPED THE DEVIL

While attending a party in one of the hotel rooms at the SOS, something happened that nearly stopped my heart. While conversing with a group of dealers, the son of one of them got his phone out and showed me a picture of a dagger he said his father bought at the show. The photo pictures an early SS dagger with a large monogram engraved on the top scabbard, "BF".

Last summer I handled a valuable consignment deal from two different dealers. The consignment consisted of a mint Eickhorn full SS R?hm dagger, a mint maker-marked Jacobs SS dagger with exclamation point motto and a pair of weapons belonging to SS-Sturmbahnf?hrer Dr. Bernhard Frank. The pair consisted of an early silver-hilt SS lion head sword and an early SS dagger with his monogram on the obverse upper scabbard fitting. Being an extremely capable and loyal officer, Frank was assigned to Himmler's staff and was in charge of the SS at Berchtesgaten at war's end. When G?ring telegramed Bormann that as per his agreement with Hitler signed in 1939, he would now take over the Reich as it was rumored that Hitler's health and mental faculties were failing. When shown the telegram by Bormann, a raging Hitler ordered that G?ring be arrested and shot. At war's end in April 1945, G?ring was holed-up at his mountain chalet on the Obersaltzberg near the Berghof. It was Dr. Frank's job to carry out the order. Since Frank knew the war was nearly over, he did arrest G?ring, but did not have the heart to carry out the execution, especially after Hitler had committed suicide. Frank was instrumental in getting G?ring to surrender to the Allies. Frank wrote a most interesting book about the episode and lived to be in his late nineties.

These four historical weapons were sold by me to a Russian for the sum of $100,000. Since we can not send parcels into Russia, the box containing the four weapons was sent to the cousin of the Russian, to his factory in Finland. Along with the parcel was a separate package that contained an album with a research dossier, as well as photographs depicting a 97 year old Frank holding his SS dagger which clearly showed the large engraved initials, "BF" on the scabbard mount. Since my basic insurance plan with Collectible Insurance was for $50,000, I had a $50,000 rider put on the policy specifically for this shipment. After about a month, the worst possible words were sent to me in an email, "We have received the dossier package, but have not received the parcel with the edged weapons". I was so worried that I was physically shaking. How could this happen to me? After requesting a search with the post office, it was discovered that the parcel left the country and made it as far as Amsterdam where it disappeared from the postal chart. What a disaster. I had lost some of the best and most historic edged weapons to surface in years.

With great sadness, I paid the consignors of the pieces and proceeded to file a claim with Collectibles Insurance. I never told the consignors that the pieces were lost, as I did not want it to get around that "Wittmann loses your daggers in the mail". Because of the loss amount, the insurance company actually sent representatives to Amsterdam and Finland, questioning the appropriate postal people as well as the Finish cousin at his factory. All the while, I did not know if I would get paid and more than once worried that the Russian customer was sending someone over to America to cut my throat as I explained to him that he would get his payment after the insurance paid me. It took about 6 months of agony, but finally I was paid. This is something you never forget and never want to happen again. Collectibles Insurance are very good people and I highly endorse them.

Well, there was the picture of the dagger with the unmistakable monogram, "BF", staring me in the face atr the party. I lost my cool and yelled, "That dagger was stolen in the mail. Where is it". The silence was deadening and remains so. It appears that the box was not lost in the mail, but must have been stolen by a European Customs agent or a Postal employee and now the piece(s) have made their way back to America. I have reported this incident to the insurance company as it is my signed obligation to do so, as recovered items are the property of the insurance company. Failure to do so would be a breach of contract and would lead to much legal trouble for me. It is my belief that the insurance company will leave no stone unturned in this matter and wouldn't it be wonderful if these historic and important edged weapons can be returned. I truly hope so.

So, for those of you out there that scour the Internet and auctions, please keep an eye out for these SS edged weapons. I have posted pictures below of the four pieces. If you buy them, you are dealing in hot goods and if caught, the weapons will be confiscated and you could be in legal trouble. If anyone knows where these weapons are, please let me know and you will help with solving a major theft here. We all have an obligation to help if we can, as put yourself in the same place and see how you would feel. Our collectibles are everything to each and everyone of us. Let's all help and see if we can't solve this deceitful crime.



Here are the photos he posted. The dagger in question is in the first photo.

I hope to get many more photos in the next few days and will post here.

Keep a look out for them.

Thanks,

Dave