Hermann Goring's lost dagger

[operaman]

Guys,I read somewhere a while back that Goring had a very special dagger made for him around 1940 it was encrusted with Ruby's and diamonds and gold.I also read that the dagger was brought to England after the war and put on display at a London exhibition and mysteriously disappeared after the show! any comments, has anyone else ever heard of this ,has it turned up in estate somewhere? I can see some 95 year old ex Royal Marine clinging to it and wanting to be buried with the dagger(joke)

[qotd]

Yes I have heard this story, I heard it was " acquired" by someone after the exhibition closed. Hasn't been seen since. Much like the story of goerings field Marshall baton. One was on display, whilst another was found by an American soldier. There's much debate as to which baton was his official one and which was his back up!!!

[operaman]

It's sort of like having the stolen Mona Lisa,you sit in a basement and admire all by your self.The most fun in collecting anything is showing off.

[wagner]

The dagger was Goring's Reich's Marshall dagger. it is well established now that it was stolen by a U.S. G.I. soon after the exhibition. He returned with it back to the states and removed most of the precious stones destroying the dagger in the process. Pieces of it it were found in the 1990's.
The G.I. supposedly made his wife a 'diamond bracelet' from the diamonds.
This incident was reported in one of the dagger books by Tom Johnson.

-wagner-

[operaman]

Might have known that a GI would do such a dumb thing,destroying a priceless art object to turn it into a bobble that will probably end up in a pawn shop.I am going to try a google the question and see what come up.Thanks for the information.

[85ronnies]

The guy who had it was a Lt. Stephenson and his son rang Johnson in 1994 to tell him that Gorings wife had given it to his father in 1945 after he went to one of Gorings houses, the dagger was kept in a deceased uncle's house for many years after the war for safe keeping. One day while on vacation the father (Lt Stephenson) abruptly left after receiving a phone call to hear a jeweler in Chicago was looking for him. What the jewelers interest in his father the son never found out, but was fairly certain that it had something to do with the dagger. He also beleives that shortly after that call tha dagger was destroyed. Stephenson is not sure of the date but thinks it may have been 1961 when his father dismantled the dagger to extract the jewels.all that remains of the Reichsmarschall dagger today are the large aquamarine that used to top the pommel, the crossguard is damaged and the throat of the scabbard is crushed. The diamonds and rubies which had been taken from them and the diamond studded body of an eagle.
Stephensons father disposed of the rest of the dagger and scabbard according to the relative who used to have custody of the dagger, he also said that he never had the hangers as they were missing when he aquired the dagger, and here are the pics of the remaining parts of the dagger, it makes me weep to look at these and probably any other dagger collector who like yourself knows of it's history ,

hope this help's Ronnie

[operaman]

Oh my God,what a waste.You know there is a saying over here it goes ""stupid is as stupid does"

[SteveR]

In 1961 German military relics had very little value regardless of who they belonged to. The only value then for the dagger was the stones. It certainly wasn't the first time a relic was disasembled for it base elements. The silver and gold religious items from the second Jerusalem temple 2 thousand years ago were melted down and used to pay for the construction of the roman coliseum around 70 AD, which was in turn ,during the middle ages, stripped of its marble facad and sold for building material. A story as old as man. I seem to remember German helmets being worth a dollar a piece in 1961.
Unfortunate? Yes. Stupid? No.
SteveR

[operaman]

Sorry I disagree,it was a stupid thing to do.He knew what it was and knew what it was worth which makes me think that he came across it illegally and thought he would get in trouble for taking the item out of Germany.

[85ronnies]

Sorry I disagree,it was a stupid thing to do.He knew what it was and knew what it was worth which makes me think that he came across it illegally and thought he would get in trouble for taking the item out of Germany.

operaman you are not far off with your sugestion, it says that he was terrified of being caught with it and that is why it was kept elsewhere, i also think its a hard one to call about the diamonds etc, i often wonder what went through his head about taking it apart, to me the saying comes to mind "as thick as theives" i even wonder now what would be the value of the remainder of the dagger without the gem's, what do you guys think?
cheers Ronnie