This piece was a total nightmare and caused more problems than any one person could imagine years ago. It is not an investment piece by any means and has a history that most would forget, or hope to.
This piece was a total nightmare and caused more problems than any one person could imagine years ago. It is not an investment piece by any means and has a history that most would forget, or hope to.
Someone is going to pay a Heinous amount of money for this "treasure". I would not accept this "thing" for a free gift. The metal of the blade, alone, is enough to make a person blink. Just Terrible quality. It looks like something "you know who" would have authenticated and offered for sale... Pure rubbish.
William
"Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it."
Thankyou Fred..for bringing the extreme close up..and also Thankyou.. Gary for your keen sight afterward...now it makes sense..as the original photos could not detect this. All presented SS Honor degens..always had "Raised" lettering..and the opposite appears to have happened....as Gary said..Lettering is a flat surface,, actually being the blade itself. I would consider it an insult..of Kaltenbrunners position..to give what appears to be a poor mans Degen.
From the Late Robert Waites collection shows in Tom Wittmans SS reference pg 527-530..the fold out of many honor degens presented personally by Himmler......all of which are in gold leaf and raised lettering. One particular degen..for reasons unknown..also with raised lettering..is the Max Amann sword...with Silver leaf. There is no known answer..why the Amannn sword was one in silver..but regardless..still the genuine article.
All the honor degens that are presented..are of the highest quality Damascus. In comparable to other Damascus swords. The Degen in the first post looks as if the acid etch was applied in reverse to the whole blade..and not the name. That would mean on both sides of the blade..and making the blade thinly unstable..and easily breakable. This Kaltenbrunner blade is not a Damascus application.......but if there is proven documentation of a direct vet bring back..I will refute my words.
The length of the sword also must come into play..as the owner was quite tall and there have been SS degens of a more visual added length than others to fit the height of the officer.
Of course..there is a story of how the Sword was acquired..and would like to see a thread about the original acquisition..from the returning Vet....if any!!
@ Stefan..thankyou for the period photo which an original degen should look like. All producers presented their degens in a similar manner..but what separates the producer from the other..is the detail. Mostly seen in the ferrule area..the pommel.."D"guard etc. The Acorn motif stands out more..from one producer to the other...and also as the same from dagger to dagger producer to producer.
One of a kind swords and daggers..can be a arduous task in indentifying and authenticating. I am still interested in the outcome of the auction. Regards Larry
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!!- Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
Wish I would have seen this info before I bid 5k on this. I kid.
I was hesitant to disclose the auction house as I have found some great deals through there in the past I wanted to keep my "fishing hole" private but oh well. It's available through Cowan's in Cincinnati and it's a prestigious auction house but I'm sure they make mistakes too.
Here is the link: Ernst Kaltenbrunner SS Honor Degen
Also, there are better pictures at the link above.
I have an original police officer degen so I have a bit of experience with the construction and materials of these style degens but the EK blade is atrocious. It's not attractive and looks crudely done to me. I've just never had an etched blade to say whether the Kaltenbrunner one is original.
Surprised Wes Cowan would offer such a dog. Perhaps it could be sharpened and used to cut watermelons.
I especially like how the fakers have managed to misspell Kameradschaft. (It actually says Kameradhchft on the blade.)
Last edited by HPL2008; 04-24-2014 at 08:37 PM.
Larry, This is from memory because I don't have time at the moment to look at my notes and emails. But the so-called "provenance" I believe goes back 40 or 50 years ago to the Ohio Valley area and a succession of owners and/or 'experts' who had the "hands on" experience. And the original presenter who I think had possession and the original images possibly looking for $125,000 to $150,000 for the sword (this needs to be verified - being a best immediate recollection). With the auction site now listing it as an estimated $4000 to $6000. There is more - but just one of the closeup images would IMO have ended the discussion years ago for those who have the experience and specialized knowledge. Best Regards, Fred
Taken into consideration the notoreity and height of Kaltenbrunner...and the fear Himmler had of Him.. I would expect nothing less than a Maidenhair Damascus sword..with raised Gold lettering. below are a couple of pics of Kaltenbrunner show his height. Regards Larry
I would think he would of has a custom made sword..of a greater length to match his walking stature.
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!!
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
This guy is stoooopid enough to buy it?
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