Seems to me that I have seen a significant increase in SA and NSKK prices in the last year or so. What used to be $500-$550 is now $700-$750. Over a grand for stellar pieces. Have we peaked or is there upside? Opinions?

Hey Syline,
Yes they are going up, but I don't see a reason for it unless it is some kind of special piece. I guess it's interesting to see one that's high on the McSarr scale but it wouldn't make me buy it at an inflated price unless it was an especially beautiful example.
There are a lot of SAs around and any shortage is probably a manufactured one.

Dagger prices have taken a BIG jump in the past 2-4 months. Early SS daggers start at $3000 and early SA daggers are being offered in decent condition for upwards of $900. Even Army and 2nd Lufts are in the $600-$900 range on most of the dealers web-sites.

The funny thing is,, they are selling at these prices.

yes they are,but i think by people who don't know any better and are new at the game. mr. weinand has some nice items,but i can't see paying $900.00 + dollars for a nice and clean sa.you keep paying that price,and you will have a very small collection..wonder why there is a lack of young collectors in the hobby?

I agree Kursk. I am 23 and I struggle to buy nice pieces. I know other young people who would love to collect but are not going to pay these prices. The sad part is people think they are making an investment but at the rate people my age group are joining the hobby there are not going to be anyone hardly to buy the stuff in 20 years. IMHO, The prices will doom the hobby, It no longer remains a hobby when you have to refinance your home to buy a couple pieces. But then again I think there is a lot of people who could careless if young people are joining the hobby or the future of the hobby for that matter. But there is still some like Bob Grant he will always give me good deals and also good layaway plans. There is still some where greed don't rule.

Crazy $900 for a small double oval Eickhorn ground Rohm in sale section. I payed $400 for a near mint ground Rohm Eickhorn from Gailen in 2000, to increase $500 in 5 years is way overboard I would rather have my dagger worth $400 hundred still at least I could go out and buy more often at those prices. I would never pay $900 for an SA come on they made 4+ million of them there not rare at all .I won't pay these prices and the people that will are just allowing the people that have these outragous price to keep increasing price at will, if they pay they will sell at that much, and this hobby will go the way of coin collecting.

IMHO, I believe why these guys prices are obscene,to say the least, is they make a LIVING with this "hobby".
Us collectors set the price. Don`t pay the $900.00 for an SA or the $800.00 fora Heer, there`s lots of them around.Scout out guys like Bob Grant to get your best deals!

Everyone loves a deal eh. Sadly as prices go up so does demand. The higher they go the more they will be desired. The only thing that will ever crash the price increases is a huge flood of minty same like items hitting the market all at once. Do you think there will be a day when 400 MINT SS's come up for sale? Some things will stagnate and others will rise but in the end it will never get cheaper, that is certain.

"and this hobby will go the way of coin collecting."

I hope so. American double eagle sold for 7.6 milion not too long ago.

Happy collecting, get it while you can.

Tim ---->>>

I was a rug dealer/ collector (and still am) back in the late 70's. They kept jacking up the prices for 5 years until collectors lost interest and went into some other hobby. As a result of that, oriental collector rugs which were selling for $6000 went to $600 over the following ten years. The rug market is just starting to recover now 25 years later. Greed ruined the market and dealers were stuck with tons of rugs that they paid thousands each for that nobody wanted at any price. That happened in 1980.

SA prices are a big bargain today. For what they represent, a piece of history. In five years or so, a $700.00 SA will be normal with some touching the over $1,500.00 mark. I sold a few for that price range over 5 years ago and continue to do so today occasionally. In fact, the buyers know I was extremely reluctant to sell them at all.

The deal is nobody really needs one, they want one. That's a big difference.

Mark

Some people want one. Then there are the Kingtigers of the world that insist on hoarding them all!

Yes , they going up .Here in germany is the price for an early good one 700 EUR , thats 900 US-$.
Where is the end ?

Kingtiger,
What you are talking about is just the normal price cycle that continues year to year. I am talking about pricing a dagger that sold for $600 2 months ago and jacking it up to $900.

This subject comes up every few months on one particular dagger type or another. Today's overpriced SA is tomorrows bargain. Sure there are tons of these around, but just try to find a minty example. They are rare. A good friend of mine recently paid $2500 for a minty NSKK. I see a couple factors driving the prices right now.
1- The low value of the US$ vs the Euro and just about every other currency is putting demand on all the US dealers and driving prices up. Compare the price of an SA on a US dealer site to that of a European site. After doing the conversion you will see why the Europeans are buying over here.
2-There is anticipation in the market right now that Whittmann's new reference is going to drive prices up.
3-These represent the "entry level" piece into German Edged weapons collecting which I think attracts a wider market.

Expensive? maybe, but many have got a better return out of their SA's than their 401K's...

Actually Skyline, I am not hoarding too many any more...I can't afford to pay the big bucks any longer. I am quietly selling a few to those that inquire about a specific maker.

I also think that the less rare ones selling for $1,000.00 is very bad for the hobby in the long run.

Mark

I agree that there is an important difference between dealers when it comes to their price policy:

- Some keep their prices reasonably stable, others rease the price every time they list the same (new) item.

- I consider it as a bad sign when a dealer strips the daggers he offers from their original accouterments: hangers, belt loops, ...etc, in order to sell them separately and to make a few dollars more. I consider it as disrespect for the history of the pieces... I once bought a DLV and when I got it, I notice that the fixed hanger had been removed (and thus broken) by the dealer in order to sell the clip of the broken hanger separately... a shame for the dagger... and for the hobby, in my opinion.

- My recent experience: the biggest names in the business like Johnson and Wittman are not always the most expensive...

Greetings.

Herr Mann

Wish I had bought a couple when i first started.In the early '80 they were $100 and clean you didn't even look at RZM.Sometime in the late "80 I paid $300 for a very clean RZM NSKK People said I was nuts but I liked it.In the late '90 I bought a Postal for $3000 today it's worth maybe to the right collector 3800-4000.Starter daggers (SA,Heer)are the money makers.When TW's book comes out watch them really climb the same way SS did.(my Boker SS cost $800 in the '80 wish I had bought a basket of them)Right now I think I'm going to buy property down here in FL.

OK. Sure, you can find a lot of SAs in the $400 to $600 range, but most of them have seen better days and I wouldn't have them in my collection.
The early double oval Eickhorn I have in the classifieds is UNCLEANED and nice. eMail me for pictures if at all interested.
The grip is tiger striped also, so it ain't your normal SA. Yellow nicotine stained fittings.
Anyway, the Russians are coming and the dollars are coming with them. The last two HJ Leader's I had went to Russia, so if you guys don't want to pay today's prices, waite until all the inventory is gone to Europe or the east.
I ain't buying them as cheap as I used to, so I have to pay more and, hence, you do to if you want the merchandise.
BELIEVE ME, I WOULD MUCH RATHER SELL TO YOU COLLECTORS. That's why I list them here FIRST.
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

In 1961, they were 6 pounds ($15) in England. A pint of best bitter was 11d, then 1/-.

Prices of historical artifacts go more up because the supply is finite. The Nazi stuff even more as people are captivated by them for some reason.

Same with the movies. Three million films about the nazis. Maybe 5 (?) about the Japanese not counting the WWII weepers to encourage enlistment.

- Bridge on the River Kwai
- That submarine one with Mitchum
- Away all boats ( D-)
- Pearl Harbor (D------)

What did I miss ?

Dave

Adam K.
BTW have you looked at coin price lately?? Quaters and nickels are going out of site and coin collecting is back; big time.
Lincolns and Indians, in super condition are going up faster than daggers right now,
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria
Coin Collector for over 50 years also.

after going to the sos show. the $500 sa daggers have too many problems to fit my collection. its the $750 pieces that grab my attention. you either pay the price or wait a couple of hours and then someone else will. all of the nice ones are sold by the end of the show at big prices and the lower condition lower price stuff is still there. low quality lingers longer than low price. as far as rare makers go...all of the makers are rare in truely minty condition. rare makers in minty condition are a true treasure to us collectors that have a couple a dozen of these. everybody says these are common daggers but hard to find nice examples at shows at any price...

Dave here are some WW2 Movies

Movies about Japanese?

30 seconds over Tokyo
God is My Co pilot
Objective Burma
The Burma Road
Merrills Marauders
Run SIlent Run Deep
Windtalkers
Sands of Iwo Jima
In Harms Way
They were expendable
Manila Calling
From here to Eternity
Tora Tora Tora
Midway
Pearl Harbor


Movies about Germany

Das Boot
Where Eagles Dare
Guns at Navarone
Battleground
Battle Cry
The tanks are coming
The Enemy Below
The WInds of War mini
The Holocaust mini
Sophies Choice
Kelly's Heroes
The Dirty Dozen
633 Squadron
Saving Private Ryan
Enemy at the Gates
The Young Lions
Hangmen Also Die
The Moon is Down

post war

The Odessa File
The Boys from Brazil
Marathon Man

many more