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**SOLD** WW2 German SS Police Officer's Degan / Sword with Nazi Police Eagle on grip & SS Runes on Blade Mfg. by Hermann Rath
Guns International #: 102617640 Seller's Inventory #: BP23-BHD
Category: Collectibles - WWII - Edged Weapons Post 1900
Seller's Information
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Seller: Antique & Modern Firearms, Inc.
Company: Antique & Modern Firearms, Inc.
Member Since: 4/27/15
State: Kentucky
Zip: 40503
Country: United States
Phone: (859) 276-1419
Fax: (859) 278-0838
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 194
Total Number of Listings: 14885
Seller: FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Visa,Master Card, Discover,Check
Description:
**SOLD** This is an original WW2 SS Police Officer's Sword / Degan manufactured by Hermann Rath. It is the sword only, the scabbard was lost by the vet's family that brought this one back. This would have been a dress sword for a member of an SS Police unit who was both a police officer and an SS officer. This is because in 1936 Hitler gave Heinrich Himmler control over all of the police forces across Germany, which Himmler then folded into the SS and under his direct supervision. This allowed Himmler and his SS to use the police in any way they wanted to, leaving some to their normal duties, while many others were made into frontline combat units including anti-partisan units, sent to police German-occupied areas, or even posted to concentration camp guard duty. While many officers kept their original swords that were police-marked only, new officers in what was now the Police AND the SS, in addition to many veterans, often purchased new swords which reflected their membership in BOTH the police and the SS. This sword is one example of what they had to choose from.
This Hermann Rath-made sword is all-original and un-modified. It remains in exactly the same configuration it was in when it first left the Rath factoy. As-mentioned previously, unfortunately the scabbard was lost somewhere along the way, as the family memeber we acquired it from remembered seeing the scabbard with it when they were young. It was moved to a often-humid basement in the 1980's, where it was stored for decades. As a result of that humidty, the sword shows areas of plating loss, surface rust, and staining of the now-exposed steel blade. The blade was cleaned recently to remove the active rust and try to even out the appearance, and the result looks pretty good. The handle and knuckle bow of this sword needs some of the same attention to stop and stabilize any corrosion or further deterioration.
This sword has a blade 33.25" inches long, and features a fuller that starts just above the top of the ricasso and runs 20.5" inches to a tapered and rounded point. From the end of the fuller forward the blade is flat and ends in a spear-shaped point. The ricasso is marked on the left side with the proper "HERM. RATH" over "SOLINGEN" over a diamond containing intertwined SS runes, the SS acceptance "proof". The blade has some VERY slight bends in it looking from the top edge down, but they are only visible under very close inspection. The grooved wooden handle is in good shape, free from any cracks, chips, or repairs, and the German Police Eagle inlaid into the handle is also in very good shape, tight to the wood with just a few tiny handling marks in it and all of the nice detail still visible. The handle assembly shows no signs of ever having been apart, and the knuckle bow is still in it's original shape. The whole sword is a hair under 38 & 3/8ths inches long, and it is 100% structurally solid. This sword would be a great display piece besides a police marked PPK, Luger, or any other Nazi-period handgun.
Price: POR