The popularity of knives and daggers from the Nazi period in German history is unprecedented. The prices for authentic knives have gone up astronomically. Yet, how does a purchaser know if the knife they want to purchase is real and not a clever forgery? With the prices so high, a buyer really needs to do some research to know what they are buying and not get taken advantage of. Forgeries are rife on E-Bay, as well as at collector's shows and other venues. I have been a collector of third Reich memorabilia for years but it was only recently that I have had the cash necessary to collect the very expensive items. After checking many sources and seeing how high the prices were, I realized that I needed a reference, a guide that could help me make be sure I was getting what I paid for. Third Reich Daggers 1933-1945, by J. A. Bowman could be a valuable resource for buyers who are looking to purchase edged weapons for collecting and/or in- vestment reasons. Just a casual glance through this book can be an eye opening experience. The book covers all types of edged weapons from all the branches of the German Military, as well as knives from Civil Service, Political and Diplomatic organizations. There are many photographs as well as detailed line drawings. Explanatory text accompanys the illustrations. This book is not inexpensive, but it can save you alot of money. It has saved me almost a $ 1000.00 and I have not even purchased one knife! Allow me to explain how this book can help you. I have been a student and a fan of the U-boats for the last 30 years. Recently, I began research to buy a Kriegs- marine Officers Dagger. Checking various web sites and E-Bay showed me that I was going to have to spend alot of money and there looked like alot of forgeries out there. I saw some Daggers that had beautifully engraved blades showing U-boats or Destroyers etched in the metal. The bidding on these knives was intense! It was not unusual to see some of these daggers go for over $ 1000.00! My blood was up! I wanted one of these U-boat daggers and I even showed my wife some of the auctions saying that here is a gift idea if you do not know what to get me for my birthday or Father's day. I realized a smart buyer does research before purchasing any expensive item. I bought this book and I discovered that all these gorgeous knives I had been coveting were forgeries! No Kriegsmarine daggers issued during the period of the Third Reich had such engraved blades. Only copies made after the war had such en- graved blades. Some of the daggers were made in Germany or Spain but they were all forgeries attempting to cash in on the skyrocketing prices of WW II memorabilia. This book is very informative but it is not perfect. A large section of color photographs would be desirable as some of the black and white photos do not adequately show the detail one needs to have when examining such expensive items. But there is no doubt this book can be a valuable resource for anyone looking to collect knives from this time in history. Elliot SacknoffRead full review
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