The Death's Head (or Totenkopf) ring was among the most-sought-after accoutrements of the elite Schutzstaffel (SS) headed by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, even though the ring was not an official national or military decoration.

Himmler himself awarded it for personal achievement, devotion to duty, and loyalty to Adolf Hitler during the years 1933 to 1945.

The ring was engraved on the inside of the band with the letters “S.lb (for “seinen Lieben”, or “to dear”) followed by the recipients’ last name, date of presentation, and a facsimile of Himmlers’ signature. It was designed by Karl Maria Wiligut (alias Weisthor).

The rings were cast in silver and then finished by hand by specially commissioned jewelers at the Munich firm Gahr. The company made about 14,000 rings.

The rings, like all SS symbols and rituals, were rooted in Nazi fascination with Teutonic pagan mythology. The Germanic god Thor, according to legend, wore a silver ring on which people could swear oaths. In addition to the Death's Head, the rings were decorated with various runes (Nordic symbols).

The Deaths’ Head Ring was a coveted award within the ranks of the SS, and was taken very seriously. Every presentation was entered in the Officers’ Seniority List (Dienstaltersliste), and a notation was made in the recipients personnel file.

When an SS officer fell in battle, his ring was returned to the SS and then displayed at a memorial in Wewelsburg Castle, a 17th-century fortress Himmler converted into a sort of reproduction of King Arthur's court with a round table and seats for the SS leader and 12 of his trusted lieutenants.

All manufacturing and awarding of the rings were canceled in October 1944 as German military losses mounted. In the spring of 1945, on Himmler's order, all memorial rings were blast-sealed into a mountainside near Wewelsburg. The site was kept secret and has not been found to this day. A little over 3,500 rings were in circulation outside the shrine at the end of the war.

Collecting:

These rings are highly desirable collectors items, but the collecting of them is full of mine fields. Great care should be taken when evaluating the authenticity of any particular ring.

A genuine ring can cost anywhere from $500 to $10,000, depending on such things as:

• Condition
• Recipient's name
• Accompanying documentation

Tools:

As in any other area of collecting rare items, you will need tools to organize your collection and information, and to perform verification.

We offer 2 tools:

1. The Honor Ring Collectors Program

A full-featured database system that has been specifically made to track the SS Himmler Honor Rings.

You can use the software for tracking these rings for insurance, organizational or historical purposes, or simply to collect knowledge!

The software incorporates a search engine, easy data entry, context sensitive help, data graphing, multiple image support and much more.

The software is extremely easy to use:

• Stand-alone database application
• Low PC requirements
• Very easy to use
• Custom data fields:
  - Dates can be entered directly or through the pop-up calendar
  - Some fields have choices, like correct dates for Dienstaltersliste
  - Owner, Awarded to, Award date, SS-Nr., Party Nr., Current Value, etc.
• 3 sections:
  1. Information, contains factual information on the ring
  2. Pictures, If available, you can insert pictures of the ring here
  3. History, used for background information on the ring
• Charting is built-in
• Network capable, and you can add up to 8 different passwords/people
• Screenshots below: (click for larger images)

 

 

• Demo download (2MB)

We highly encourage you to download the Demo version and try it. Purchase the FULL version HERE.

2. A copy of the 'Dienstaltersliste Der Schutztaffel' 1934

The Dienstalterslistes contain the names of officers who were full time members of the SS, including the Allgemeine-SS (General SS), Sicherheitsdienst or SD (SS Security Service), SS-Verfügunstruppe (Special Purpose Troops), SS-Totenkopfstandarte (Death's Head Regiments), SS-Totenkopfverbände (Concentration Camp Staff) and, after the war started, the Waffen-SS (Armed SS).

Several of these were published, the first in 1934, and the last in 1944.

The information contained on each officer varies in each list but includes the following partial list:

• Name / Rank
• Unit(s) and/or command(s)
• Date of birth
• SS / NSDAP number

• Specific political & military awards
• SS officer school attended (Braunschweig or Bad Tölz)
• Commission rank and branch of service

One of the hardest named artifacts to trace is the SS Honour Ring because original rings only contain the recipient's last name. If the name inside the ring is an unusual one and not frequently seen, one can be reasonably certain of the original owner if the name is found in a Dienstaltersliste and the award date on the inside of the ring coincides with the date that the award is shown on the list. Note that the Dienstalterslistes do not show the exact date of award but will reflect awards of the ring made prior to the publication date of the list.

This faithful digital reproduction is approx. 82 pages, and even shows the stamps from the 3rd US Army that captured it!

See the front page HERE. Purchase the FULL version HERE:

Suggested References:

• Klaus D. Patzwall: Der SS-Totenkopfring, Seine Illustrierte Geschichte 1933-1945
• Stephen E. Flowers: The Secret King, Karl Maria Wiligut, Himmler's Lord of the Runes
• Robin Lumsden: SS Himmler's Black Order 1923-1945
• Don Boyle: SS Totenkopf H. Himmler Honor Ring 1933-1945