I've been lurking for awhile, but have not posted much. I picked this up a while back. Any comments as to authenticity would be appreciated. Pic quality is the best I could do.

What is this green stuff...and how can I either get rid of it or keep it from getting worse?

The green stuff is called verdigris and it is the result of a chemical reaction of the copper in the nickel silver. It will eventually cause pitting of the metal surface. Best to remove it. You can use a soft cloth like an old cotton t-shirt to wipe it off.

Skyline:

Thank you for the info. I thought it might be verdigris, but wasn't sure.

I tried wiping it with a t-shirt, but no joy on that. Should I really dig in there with something like a toothpick and try to get it off that way?

...or, is there any type of solvent that I can use that will not damage the nickel plating?

Those crossguards should be solid nickel and not plated. If you have plated parts on that dagger then you have a parts dagger. They look solid to me, however. The green verdigris should wipe off easily. If it doesn't I wouldn't do more radical cleaning unless it is necessary to prevent pitting. Spot use with simichrome as a last resort, but try to avoid overusing it. Original patina is desireable. I don't see any obvious problems with the originality of this dagger, but the photos are not the best. The crossguards should be hand chaised and there should be a small bench mark number under the crossguard to the left or right of the blade. (This is not the larger SS mann's number.) Nice dagger and very desireable if all is 100%.

Great! Thanks for the info.

I just assumed it was nickel plated, but I guess not.

I sold one like that in better condition within the last two years for $12,500.00. The value was the Rohm name was still mostly visible. the inscription perfect and the blade was not so polished. I regret the sale as it was real history I had right in my own hands. However, I took the cash and ran. I miss that dagger.

Mark

Wow! That's a nice piece of change...about 3 or 4 times what I paid for mine IIRC.

I bought it from a reputable militaria dealer in London many years ago, so I was confident it was legit, but it is nice to have it looked over by the experts on this forum.

quote:

Originally posted by kingtiger:
I regret the sale as it was real history I had right in my own hands. However, I took the cash and ran. I miss that dagger.

That's why I'm not tempted to sell it. It is a tangible representation of a very significant period in world history. However, some people to whom I've shown it can't get past the Nazi insignia, so I rarely pull it out of my safe any more.

If that SS number is 1422, it belonged to Standartenführer Wilhelm Reck who turns up the SS-Dienstalterslistes from October 1934 through November 1944. Probably a lot of information available on this guy including photos.

Congrats!

Ross Kelbaugh
www.ssdaggers.com

quote:

Originally posted by SS-Researcher:
If that SS number is 1422, it belonged to Standartenführer Wilhelm Reck who turns up the SS-Dienstalterslistes from October 1934 through November 1944. Probably a lot of information available on this guy including photos.

Congrats!

Ross Kelbaugh
www.ssdaggers.com

Ross, thank you for the info on that! Greatly appreciated!