Hi all,

Could someone help me identyfy the SS marking on this hunting sword?

Thanks.

Best regards
Morten

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When I first saw SS, I thought it might have to do with the Nazis.

Identifying a sword´s owner by a monogram can be difficult, especially because it is a hunting sword, and therefore probably a private object as opposed to a royal monogram used on equipment issued to troops. The crown can be promising, because it indicates a rank, but often people used the wrong rank crown. The most misused rank crown was that of counts, but this one has arches, which indicates a higher rank. Still, the difference in crowns can be quite small, and one doesn't know if an artist just didn't depict it right. Also, the styles can vary differently from country to country. The crown most resembles either the crown of a landgraf, or that belonging to a Dutch Prince who is a grandson of the King. It could also be a Princely Crown in Germany or Austria. Technically a Princely crown has a cushion, but it could have been left out because it is an etching.

There aren't that many langrafs, in fact all holders of the title, also have a higher title. There aren’t very many Dutch Princes either, the male line in the Netherlands has died out twice. It probably didn't belong to a Dutch Prince, though. I think they all had Willem as part of their name. In fact, it seems most of the men who would qualify by rank for the crown are called Friedrich or William, and the initial S seems to be rather rare.

My guess is that one could learn more about the sword from the style of monogram, if one was familiar with the trends. It certainly isn’t a baroque style monogram, but I can not say to what time period it belongs. I am also not sure if the S is doubled like monograms, or if the person initials really were SS. Someone here might be able to date the sword without relying on the monogram.

Do you know anything about the sword, like where it has come from?