I own a long dagger/short sword. The hilt is in the design of the German eagle with its wings spread out as the hand guard and in the middle of the hand guard is a swastika. The scabbard is also adorned with swastikas on the top, mid section, and bottom.
I don’t want to own this piece as I don’t want to be seen as a Nazi sympathizer or anything of the sort, but I don’t want to sell it to someone who actually is a Nazi sympathizer or something like that.
What do I do with it besides trash it? I don’t want to trash it because it’s decent quality. It’s not historic in any way (which disturbs me to think about) but it’s well made.
What can I do with it?
*The item in question is not historical
Use it as a cassus belli and invade Germany.
You could de-nazi it. Use a Dremel/rotary tool to take off all the Nazi shit.
Melt it down and turn it into something that can be used for good, not to harm.
Watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia S01E06
Donate it to a museum with a sterling reputation or destroy it. Sounds like there’s no value to a museum, so that leaves one option. Take it to someone who can melt it down in front of you to make sure it’s not sold on a black market.
My mom & her brothers were arguing over family silverware. The older of my two uncles just took the silverware case & disappeared with it.
That year for Christmas, every immediate family received a custom made ring made from the melted silverware.
They’re not anything valuable. They look handmade & some of the pieces were outright ugly, but it worked.
We all still have that silverware & it means a lot to all of us.
To OP, completely understand you might not want jewelry made from a nazi knife, but maybe there’s an option to do something worthwhile while that melted metal, rather than just scrapping it?
If nothing else, you could encase a copy of mein kampf in the metal & have a fancy ass doorstop you can kick around.
“Is that a brick of silver holding your door open?”
“Nope. It’s a deactivated copy of that hitler book.”
Keep it like it is, and make a point to explain to anybody what your views are. I understand you not wanting to be considered a Nazi, but it is still ab almost 100 years old piece of history and I think it would be a pity to trash it.
Never forget history, means also keep “historic memorabilia”. There is nothing bad in keeping a piece of history, good or bad, it’s all our history and we should always be wary of trying to " trash it ".
Edit: you should edit your post and specify its not original. Them just trash it or melt if you can use the materials.
Seconded.
We can collect historic pieces because they have a value, even if that value is describing some of the worst aspects of history in order to remember them so we don’t repeat it.
A fake piece? I don’t understand the market for that. If it was a movie prop or for a legit reenactment group (as in not nazis), it could have some value, but as a generic fake someone wanted to own a Nazi thing and someone else wanted to make a Nazi thing for profit. I would have a hard time keeping that around. There’s no positives to it.
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I have a similar item that I don’t want to display but also don’t want to get rid of - I inherited it from my grandfather who got it by killing a Nazi.
How do I keep the memory of an item that represents killing Nazis to me without it looking sympathetic? Defacing the symbols might be the right way
That’s an interesting question and wonder what most would say. There’s a story behind yours that’s rooted in world history and obviously affected your family. IMO, you’re allowed to keep it without looking sympathetic.
I don’t think you need to deface it. You could even display it if you’re so inclined. Just make it clear to people who see it that you aren’t a Nazi sympathizer in the same way you’ve done here and you’ll be fine.
It may be worth calling a few reputable museums to ask if they are interested in it. You could retain ownership while they display it, and that way you share the story of your grandfather without giving away the thing he left you.
Same boat. My partner’s grandfather had a bunch of WW2 memorabilia that their parents passed down to us. Among it are the papers of some Nazis he took off their bodies as well as other odds and ends.
It just sits in a box in our closet. It’s interesting history, but definitely not something I have any interest in displaying.
Frame it with an engraving telling the story. That’s an awesome piece of history to have, but you would definitely need to display it in some way that immediately communicates “this is historical”.
Get a display case and put a note with the story on it. That way it’s clear its being kept from historical/sentimental value and not because you like Nazis.
Get a label maker and add a label saying “aquired by killing a nazi” (there’s probably something cooler/nicer than a label, like engraving it, and there’s probably a better way to word it too)
Loot
Stab a Nazi with it.
Forgetabilia
It was made within the last two decades
decent quality
Are you sure about that? I mean, maybe you’re a person who’s way more into blades than I am, but a regular person would be hard pressed to differentiate between a “quality” blade and a “mall ninja shit” blade.
It’s definitely well constructed when it comes to actual use. I’ve used it for test cutting before and it’s held up just fine. It wouldn’t be useful for defense but it would function as a dagger/short sword.
And I’m no expert but I studied machining and metalworking in school so I know good steel.
melt it down and turn it into some anti-fascist art.
💩
OP can you post a picture of it. I’m curious how it could be modified.
I don’t have any pictures of it and can’t take any right now but I have a link to a website showing the same blade.
lots of collectors that aren’t Nazis, maybe sell it
The real trick is in finding the genuine collector, and not just another Nazi in a collector’s Trenchcoat.
Donate it to an Escape room or some artsy installation that’s set in that time.
