SS Rohm Dagger Need help - Fake or Real

[kmalla]

Hi Guys,

I would like to have your opinion on this dagger which is up for auction. Do you think The echt is real?



Many thanks,
kmalla

[Larry C]

In the photo provided of the dedication due to a lack of detail of the acid etch process ... I would say no its not real.

A greater photo would be needed.

[kmalla]

Hi Lary C, you mean there should be more "bleeding out" of the echting in the dedication? It is too perfect? TBH, I was more worried about the makers mark tbh. Looks too fuzzy. The motto is real though in your opinion?

[SkylineDrive]

I have also looked at this auction dagger. The problem with Herder (and also Hammesfahr and to some extent Klaas) is that they made Rohm daggers with their standard sized trademark. This opens up a Pandora's box of potential fakes. The fakers can take a standard Herder dagger and simply add the Rohm inscription to the blade. Occasionally, if the fake inscription is spotted they will remove a portion of the inscription to create a ground Rohm. Less money, but more easily sold with less scrutiny. There is one clue on this dagger that makes me think it at least started out as a Rohm which I will not disclose here. The thing that jumps out at me with this dagger is the sloppy maker mark with the fat letters. This leads me to believe the blade was originally a ground Rohm, and the grinding process took off part of the trademark. Well now, you can't sell a full Rohm with a partially ground trademark, can you? So what do you do?... remove the entire trademark and add a new fake one along with the fake Rohm inscription.

[SkylineDrive]

Here is a good one. Compare the letters of the trademark with the above dagger.

[Billy G]

I would agree with Skyline, the maker mark looks a bit crude with thicker lettering on the Herder logo. The days of auction houses exercising quality control seem seem sadly gone.

[Dave H]

Agree with Billy and Skyline - Trademark is not right.

[Rossi]

Ron shared a photo of his with me the other day. He got from a veteran in Kentucky years ago. I am in agreement on the Herder comments on maker mark.

[kmalla]

Thanks guys, very insightful discussion.

[wagner]

I agree with Skyline, Billy and Dave. The dagger has a fake dedication and reapplied Herder logo.

BTW, the most desireable SS daggers these days (searched by the fraudsters) is a excellent conditioned factory full ground Rohm with untouched logo. You all know why.

-Serge