German SS Officer's Ring? Real or Fake?

[devincu]

I am in the process of helping a Vet sell his WWII collection and he brought this ring to me and said a fellow G.I. had removed it from the finger of a SS officer during WWII. The fellow is 95 years old and sometimes he doesn't get all of his facts straight any longer. I wanted to make sure that this is a real SS ring before I try to sell it and was hoping someone might be able to tell me a little more about it. The only markings inside the band are 800 which I take is .800 silver and the is what appears to be a B or maybe an H with a circle around it. Thanks!

[Bochmann]

Well it has the potential to be a good WW2 ring as worn by lots of those in the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) its just that you cannot prove who wore the ring and this will affect the value.

Please note also that the ring is not an SS Honour Ring as this was a high prestige award and individually named but not the same thing as you have posted here, which could be bought by all and sundry, so the value will likely be in the hundreds of dollars rather than the thousands.

Please await futher replies re value as I would only confirm that the ring is not exclusively SS for the reasons previously stated and although I am sure that the ring is genuine, there may be others who will have a much better idea of the originality of this item than I.

[Adrian]

It is an ordinary Deaths Head ring, there is nothing on the ring that connects it to the SS so therefore the value will be just for the ring. I have no idea if it was made eighty years ago or eight days ago. Rings like these were and still are worn by bikers and enthusiasts of loud music! Please also bear in mind that an awful lot of 'trophies' were prised from the hands of a dead SS Officer, whether they be medals, rings, cigarette cases etc etc, that is why there is a saying; 'buy the item, not the story'.
Anyone looking to purchase this ring will be judging the merits of the ring alone and will pay accordingly. I personally don't think it's as old as is being made out, it doesn't look very worn and the patina of the recesses and polished high areas look false.

[devincu]

Thanks guys this gives me some things to think about. My WWII vet friend is as honest as the day is long, so I know that it he thinks it was a SS officers. The problem is while he is still pretty sharp mentally his memory is starting to slip a little, so this may or may not be the ring he was thinking about. I will just tell him to hold onto this one and then we wont have to worry about weather or not we are selling a fake.

[Walkwolf]

I agree with Adrian. Eighty years or eight days - who can tell for sure.........?

A lot of these rings are currently made in Europe, and are usually
associated with a battle or region - such as 'Stalingrad',
and likely 99% are fake.

Have a look on Ebay - lots of them there - Some are of
the same design and markings.........

[devincu]

Thank you Steve, I did see quit a few of them on ebay, but I doubt my 95 year old friend who dosen't even know how to use a computer would find one there. He says he has had it from the end of the war so I was hoping someone could tell me how to tell a good one from a fake, but if it is that hard probably best just to hold onto it.

[Walkwolf]

A good idea, as many Vet aquired items could have been purchased or obtained
at any time during the war - or any time after. Not to slight your friend, but
sometimes old folks forget just where something went or came from
- I know - it happens to me all the time, and I'm just over 50 !

One thing I noticed with a lot of these modern `SS Officers` rings,
is that they all seem to have been re-sized - perhaps to make
them appear like they were actually worn..........

[Paul D]

For many of us it is quite easy to spot the modern fake or fantasy rings but harder to actually authenticate an original war time piece of which thousands were made this one i think falls into the latter category !

[ostlanddigger]

From what i see it may be original pre or ww2 period ring. Design of this ring I know. Better pics would be great-but so far looks good. I had before in my colection such design ring.

[big ned]

I agree with all of the above statements. I certainly believe it is a period design, they were known to the Germans as 'Canteen Rings' as they could be purchased from their equivelent of the NAAFI or P.X. as well as elsewhere.

Most were of an alloy type and plated, but silver ones were available at an obvious greater cost. I have read that these were favoured by officers,(not all SS!), so whilst not 'buying the story', I believe there could be truth in the old guys words. It is always worth keeping an eye on 'Eismeerfront's' regular postings on battlefield digs on the old Eastern Front, as these rings feature heavily in the findings, which shows how popular they really were.

Regards, Ned.