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Original Rings of the Allgemeine-SS
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| DESCRIPTION: This is the full-sized Allgemeine- PRICE: $1,250.00 |
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Irminsul SS Ring (Item SS 2-5; AHN 2-5) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is one of the most interesting rings of the SS. We believe it had something to do with the ancestral heritage study group Ahnenerbe. There are a couple of reasons for our speculation. Unlike some of the other rings that came in the huge collection bought in Stuttgart, there was no bench identification for these when found. We do know that at least one of the jewelry manufacturers in Ludenscheid, where these were found, had the Ahnenerbe contract. The other ring, with the odd runic design, was easy to identify because there were labels and bin identification. Unfortunately, this one must go on a degree of speculation, but there is a strong case for the possibility and probability. The top of the ring has the shape of a runic planchet as used by the ancients in foretelling futures and was used in other Pagan ceremonies and rituals. We know that the Ahnenerbe did not have any particular uniform, but several pieces of jewelry to include rings, stickpins, and brooches, did exist. The most convincing aspect of this Ahnenerbe connection is evident in the design of the shank of this ring. To each side of the runic top are motifs that appear to depict a symbol that was important to this SS organization, that was always cloaked in mystery. This was the Irminsul, tree of destiny, Wotan's monument. This immediately became an icon throughout the SS Reich! It was found in ironwork, wood carvings, paintings, and bronze sculptures. It was shown in many different forms, but always with a strong center trunk and always the flowing branches that sometimes dip and sometime curl, but ever Teutonic- or Celtic-looking in form. As a historian very interested in the Charlemagne and Wittikind saga and its Irminsul involvement, I honestly believe this beautiful ring is an Ahnenerbe-connected relic. Everything seems to point in that direction. I will be most happy to add an example to my own extensive collection of N.S. rings. With classic lines and aesthetic beauty, this is one of the finest and immeasurably important pieces of Germanic jewelry ever found. Marked inside the shank is "835" (silver content).
PRICE: $850.00 |
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SS-SD Ring (Item SS 3-A) |
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| DESCRIPTION: The ring was never official, but among the effects of Reinhard Heydrich was an Entwurf, or original design, for this item found among planned articles dated 1942. Here is an original ring of the SS-SD (Shutzstaffel-Sicherheitdienst). This was the organization so dreaded by the enemies of the Reich. Its members were the real professionals of the security services. The ring was never really official, but among the effects of Reinhard Heydrich were the design of the SS – SD ring and they were removed from his office in Prague by the SD staff. There was a picture of this ring among planned articles dated 1942, the year he was murdered by British-sponsored Czechoslovakian partisans. SS leader SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Hermann Frank took over after the murder of his chief and the drawing was found in his portfolio at the Cerninsky Palace in Praha (Prague). If you go to our home page and look at “About Our Rings” you will see the explanation of how we obtained many of these rings. Up until that point I had never seen an authentic SS-SD ring. I had seen copies that were so bad that they were practically obscene, but I knew somehow that someone, somewhere must have a real one because what were the copies made from? Was it just a fantasy? Yet we knew of that drawing and now that we bought the great group, lo and behold, here was the genuine article. So here in wonderful detailed excellence is the extremely elusive SS-SD ring. The detailing is exquisite with deep-set eye sockets and high-relief insignia stamped inside with the ‘835’ silver designation. This is a very dramatic-looking piece of genuine Third Reich jewelry that will be the pride of any good WW II collection.
PRICE: SOLD |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is the most beautiful ring of the Third Reich. It is fully enameled. These rings were crafted for the Waffen- PRICE: $3,500.00 |
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SS-Totenkopfverbände Ring (Item SS 4-5) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is possibly the ultimate PRICE: SOLD |
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Very Early Style Totenkopfverbände Ring (Item SS 13-5) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This ring had its origins in the 1920’s and was later considered a traditions ring. SS men evidently bought them in the 1940’s as souvenirs of the Kampzeit “struggle for power.” The ring has the old-style skull and crossbones as it was borrowed from the Freebooters of the Freikorps. The enamel background is rather crude looking when compared with other enameled rings that we offer, but this is evidently because the original 1920’s ring was an impromptu creation made up while the party members, especially the SA and the SS were out in the streets in a life-and-death struggle with the Reds to see who would inherit the Fatherland. We would emphasize “life and death.” Many of these Hitler paladins died in the 1920’s and early 1930’s conflicts. Thus, just about everything they wore was later produced by various companies as Kampf-zeit-erinnerung, “In memory of the struggle!” So, it is naturally fitting that this neat little ring as worn by these early warriors would be produced by the Lüdenscheid companies. This particular one was by Steinhauer and Lück. A similar Kampzeit item can be see at SS 8-5 in our SS pages. The ring is marked inside the shank with an “800”-series stamping although an original 1920’s example in our collection is not marked. By the time of manufacture of this example there was a law making it obligatory to mark such silver items. Although the enameling may look a little crude (probably done on purpose) the ring has a “chilling” beauty of its own when one considers its early history. This is an important addition to any NSDAP or SS collection.
PRICE: $950.00 |
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| DESCRIPTION: This might be said to be the Rolls-Royce of PRICE: $1,250.00 |
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Kampfzeit Ring AH Standarte (Item SS 21-5) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This ring was called a Traditionstringe and it was one of the first pre-1933-style rings when the SS-Leibstandarte was still called the Adolf Hitler Standarte, the bodyguard regiment for the future chancellor, who was at that time the “Führer” of the fledgling NSDAP (German Workers’ Party). Very few of these rings were ever made and the story is that they were given as Christmas gifts to men of the Standarte by their commanding officers in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. I have stated that rings in the Nazi movement and later in the Wehrmacht were never issued. They were always purchased items, except for the famous Himmler Totenkopf honor ring. The ring we show here is the only other one that we could say is an exception to the rule. Since they came from the Storm Troop leaders to their loyal men, it could be construed as an issue of sorts. Now understand, this is not a 1920’s ring we offer here. Being a traditions ring it was one of the ones made by one of the small companies that wanted to preserve the historical design and offer it as an artistic memento of the Kampzeit (struggle for power). The skull in the style of the very early 1920’s design is great! as are the eagles, but under a glass. The birds’ heads are like gargoyles. This was often the case with early designs. However, I see it as nostalgic “Kitch,” and this is what makes it so interesting. It is a great-looking ring with very fine detail even if a little bit leaning to the barbaric, but remember, the toughness of these early Kampfzeit fighters and this ring falls right into place. The ring is in silver and marked appropriately “800” inside the shank. Really, one of the nicest of the plain, silver rings; long before the enameled ones came onto the scene. This was one of the large group of rings procured in Stuttgart. Although this was not one of the models designed by our elderly jeweler, it was one of the groups that he was given in 1941 for finishing. He particularly liked this ring for its definitive style that evoked memories of his own participation in the struggle for power of the SS and NSDAP.
PRICE: SOLD |
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RFSS Freundeskreis Ringe, Circle of Friends of the Reichsführer-SS (Item SS 25-2) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is certainly the scarcest ring that has ever surfaced and probably the most prestigious. The organization that these rings represented was the very group that made it possible for the SS to become as huge and prominent as it did. The major industrial groupings in Germany paid close attention to the political events and stirrings in Germany with an eye to which group would be best suited to stabilize the nation in the aftermath of the World War and the attempt at revolution by the reds. The NSDAP and especially the SS organization looked like they were the only action groups that could and would achieve the objectives that these giants of industry desired. The Nazis with ‘socialist’ in its title was construed as actual antisocialist in at least opposing the leftist socialists and thus was the vehicle chosen to realize the aims of big business. The liaison man for the heavy industry and junker landowners was Wilhelm Keppler. He was the official representative for the industrialists and bankers. Himmler introduced Keppler to Adolf Hitler and the “circle” of business advisors whom Keppler founded for the Führer in May 1932 later became the Freundeskreis RFSS--Circle of Friends of the Reichsführer-SS, and they contributed huge sums annually to the SS. Members of the circle were officials of IG Farben, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, BMW, Daimler Benz, and the world’s largest building combine, Philip Holzmann. It is said that the Freundeskreis, along with the old army, were the hidden wire-pullers behind the Night of the Long Knives (the assassination of Ernst Rohme and his conspirators). Just after Rohme’s dramatic elimination by the SS, much larger sums of support money was forthcoming. At the end of the Reichsparteitag (party rally) in the autumn of 1934, just after the bloody resolution of the Rohme crisis, the members of the RFSS were invited to Nuremberg and put up at the Grand Hotel as guests of the Reichsführer. Himmler’s adjutant, Karl Wolf, played host as he did in succeeding years. Among those many bankers and industrialists present was von Halt of Deutsche Bank, Meyer of the Dresdener Bank, Reinhart of the Commerzbank, and Olscher of the Credit Bank. The list of heavy-industry participants is quite long: Bosch, Siemans, Lindsmann of Nord Deutscher Lloyd, Helfferich of the Hamburg-American Line, and numerous other household names from the giant conglomerates. The importance of the RFSS was profound? SS salaries were supplemented by the funds of the ‘Circle.’ Vehicles that were necessary such as cars, motorcycles, and even armored vehicles, offices, SS quarters, and very importantly the Order Castle at Wewelsburg were directly paid for out f the annual stipend to the Reichsführer. The very expensive programs of the Deutsche Ahnenerbe (Office of the Ancestral Hermitage) was supported, if not entirely funded, by the RFSS. The expeditions to search for or restore sites supposed to be old Germanic settlements or shrines burial grounds, etc, were extremely costly indeed even to the point of sending large teams of researchers to Tibet to trace the beginnings of the Indo-Germanic race. The ‘friends’ came through, however. The salary of the Reichsführer, and his estates, of course, had to be funded by the ‘Circle’ to include his villa called Lindenfycht at Gmund am Tegernsee. So it is evident that the formation of this benevolent group was the nucleus of the SS that couldn’t have survived without it. Now as to the ring: At the meetings at Nuremberg that we have mentioned special attention was given to these honored guests--the industrialists, bankers, shipping magnates, etc. Our late contact in Germany, the elderly jeweler (see About Our Rings that we bought so much jewelry from at Stuttgart told us just about in each case what the particular piece was used for and what group it was to be sent to. He told us that the particular ring was very special and that it was ordered in various quantities by Himmler’s adjutant, SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Wolf and he ordered these rings just before the annual Parteitag in Nuremberg. This was considered our man’s roughest order since this was not just a matter of putting the metal dies in operation, but also these rings had to be hand engraved as per order. This never gave him enough time to complete the orders, but he always managed to and later he made up several in advance to meet the needs of the SS. Here is the difference with this magnificent SS ring and the reason it is so rare. The rings were individually crafted and our jeweler had to call in a special engraver to finish each one separately. The design was typical of the art trends that were in vogue in the 1930s. The craftsmanship and savoir faire elegance portrayed in this simple yet refined design was eminently characteristic of the style of the German landed gentry and their penchant in artistic expression. But basically it was a fairly simple yet substantial piece of jewelry. Fact emerges that this was to be a special gift to the honored attendees at the RFSS Conference and presented by Wolf or at times, Himmler, himself. Thus, besides the honor ring of the SS, this piece becomes the only other ring that could be considered an issue ring and it came to be known as the RFSS ring. The question asked at this point is to be expected: Why would the SS leadership present such a rather humble piece of jewelry in silver rather than in gold? These rings were presented to men who could afford to have platinum rings with huge diamond insets. The answer: The Reichsführer-SS Himmler hated gold. He considered the metal to be “The leaven of the Jews!” Silver represented purity in the Nordic and Aryan sense and their was even a directive to the extent that except for family wedding rings, SS men were prohibited from wearing gold jewelry. This went for their wives, as well. Himmler was adamant in this and the directive was picked up by other party functionaries as well, and you will seldom see a ring in gold in any of the German services. The exception is the Luftwaffe because Reichsmarschal Göring loved this precious metal and was not intimidated by Himmler’s order. So, in fact, these rings became the official gift to the members of the Freundeskreis and are today considered one of the most prodigiously sought-after relics of the Third Reich. Before successfully buying this collection we have only heard of two of these RFSS rings showing up in Europe in the 1960s and one 20 years ago in the U.S. The prices they brought were serious, even back then. We were bowled over when we were able to buy these and to actually meet the designer, himself. The rings are in genuine heavy silver and are rather large in design. The rings are marked inside the shank '835.' This stands for the silver content . The SS in the center is surrounded by deep, fine, black enamel. The top, which is the size of an elongated dime, is separately affixed. The rings are in practically mint condition having never been worn. They were what he had in the bench bins at the end of the war. He was extremely proud of these and although we paid a pretty standardized price for most of the other great items, we had to pay a premium for these particular rings. They are in a word special and we are markedly proud to offer this, this magnificent ring of the RFSS.
PRICE: $2,500.00 |
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| 2nd Type Freundeskreis Ring (Item SS 25-3A) |
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DESCRIPTION: Read the description of the magnificent ring above describing the RFSS Freundeskreis ring, Circle of Friends of the Reichsfuhrer SS Item SS 25-2. This ring was so popular and so typical of the entire mythos of the SS that certain SS men wanted to have one also although they were not members of the “Freundeskreis,” so a certain jeweler was given permission by Himmler’s SS Office of Procurement to fashion a similar ring (in fact, almost exact) except it did not have the enamel background. This was so that the official members' rings would be instantly recognized. The other obvious difference is that these non-enameled rings were purchased and not presented like the Freundeskreis rings. Also, the floral designs at the sides were picked up in the steel dies and not hand engraved, but these rings were also made in 835 genuine silver and are really beautiful. They are much less expensive but all as imposing. Be sure to read the full description in the above narrative for a full understanding of the meaning. PRICE: $1,500.00 |
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Nazi Baby Ring (Item SS 27-15; NSD 13-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is the smallest NS ring ever! They were manufactured for the children of loyal party members and SS personnel. The ring was often presented to parents of a newborn at Christian baptism or the special rites of the same, but performed by the SS officials in solemn ceremonies. The ring is not something like the size of an SS Victory ring or as impressive as a Hitler Youth leader’s ring, but it has its own charm, notwithstanding. It features an enameled swastika cradled in flowers as would be expected in an infant’s ring. It has some markings inside that look to be a logo and the ‘800’ silver designation. This is a very pretty petite piece of Third Reich jewelry that probably would not even start to go on your pinky. The size is near to a 5. This is rare and original.
PRICE: $450.00 |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
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