December 14, 2025Dec 14 #1 Good morning! I posted this on Reddit and another forum and was encouraged to post here as well. Right now, I'm gathering opinions so I can make some decisions on my next move! Thank you in advance. This is a ring that was found in my parent's attic along with a box of military badges and patches belonging to our deceased Uncle Victor. My husband found it and it was completely black so I gave it a quick polish and was intrigued by the symbols. I did some internet research and would appreciate any opinions before I visit a local expert! 1. It is inscribed: S.lb Giesselmann 21.6.44 H. Himmler. 2. There is a seam behind the skull. 3. I have no paperwork or presentation box, but my Uncle Vic did serve during WWII (and rarely talked about it). This ring has been untouched in my parent's attic for decades. 4. The black circle with SS runes were in the same box (not sure if that matters!). Thank you for your time! Brenda
December 15, 2025Dec 15 #2 Brenda, Interesting ring and we look forward to further research on the recipient. I will just add as a museum professional,, I recommend not to polish it any further. Removing the Patina and any surface material will significantly decrease the value. Best regards Leigh
December 15, 2025Dec 15 Author #3 5 hours ago, Rakkasan187 said: Brenda, Interesting ring and we look forward to further research on the recipient. I will just add as a museum professional,, I recommend not to polish it any further. Removing the Patina and any surface material will significantly decrease the value. Best regards Leigh Thanks for the advice, Leigh! I had no idea what it was when I cleaned it, but you're right--I'll leave it as is now. I'm currently having it researched and should know more by mid-January. For the time-being, it looks like I might have an authentic piece, and I actually found the sides to the presentation box lid last night! Such a learning process.
December 15, 2025Dec 15 #4 Brenda, I am not sure how in depth you want to go into the history of your SS ring, It does merit further research as well as knowing the history behind the origins. Based on what I am seeing, it looks as if you have a Type 2 ring box, which is a relatively rare type, rarer than the Type 1 ring box. The Type 2 boxes have the black and white striped border which appears along the edge of the lid. I can't tell by the images, but the black and white stripes should also appear around the lower portion of the box as well. There is a relatively decent reference book about the SS Ring History to include Ring Boxes, Reproductions and a bunch of other information. The title and author are listed below, and the book is available at Barnes and Noble and some other stores. The book itself is pretty good, the author on the other hand has had some "authenticity" issues in the past with some of his collection but this is not the arena to discuss this. You can look the author up and decide for yourself... The SS Totenkopf Ring: An Illustrated History from Munich to Nuremburg by Craig Gottlieb Looking forward to hearing what research you have been able to come up with. I may also have some reference material to research the recipient. Best regards Leigh
December 16, 2025Dec 16 Author #5 13 hours ago, Rakkasan187 said: Brenda, I am not sure how in depth you want to go into the history of your SS ring, It does merit further research as well as knowing the history behind the origins. Based on what I am seeing, it looks as if you have a Type 2 ring box, which is a relatively rare type, rarer than the Type 1 ring box. The Type 2 boxes have the black and white striped border which appears along the edge of the lid. I can't tell by the images, but the black and white stripes should also appear around the lower portion of the box as well. There is a relatively decent reference book about the SS Ring History to include Ring Boxes, Reproductions and a bunch of other information. The title and author are listed below, and the book is available at Barnes and Noble and some other stores. The book itself is pretty good, the author on the other hand has had some "authenticity" issues in the past with some of his collection but this is not the arena to discuss this. You can look the author up and decide for yourself... The SS Totenkopf Ring: An Illustrated History from Munich to Nuremburg by Craig Gottlieb Looking forward to hearing what research you have been able to come up with. I may also have some reference material to research the recipient. Best regards Leigh Thank you! The last few days have been a wild ride and we're very excited about the direction this is going. I've seen that book and have considered buying a copy, but for now I'm waiting to get info back from a man who is checking the archives and records about the ring's owner. We know that he existed, which is a good start!
December 16, 2025Dec 16 #7 I found a Giesselmann who was a town area commandant in Poland (City of Przemysl). I have the book "The Key" by Bernard Brule that has the numerical indexes to a number of the SS Dienstalterslistes. I would need to know Giesselmanns SS number to cross refernce. Leigh
March 11Mar 11 Author #8 Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating, but we really wanted to get some research done on the ring before moving forward. The wonderful Robert McDivitt delved into the archives in D.C. last month and sent me over (50) pages of research, which will all go to the new owner when the ring when sold. It was also authenticated by D. Boyle through the auction house. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions throughout this process--we started at zero and learned so much along the way! The ring and presentation box will be auctioned through Ratisbon's in April. For details, click here, and thanks again! https://www.ratisbons.com/11th-usa-auction/ss-honor-ring-with-partial-case-ss-sturmbannfuehrer-helmut-giesselmann.html
March 21Mar 21 Author #9 On 12/16/2025 at 10:30 AM, Rakkasan187 said: I found a Giesselmann who was a town area commandant in Poland (City of Przemysl). I have the book "The Key" by Bernard Brule that has the numerical indexes to a number of the SS Dienstalterslistes. I would need to know Giesselmanns SS number to cross refernce. Leigh Hi Leigh! I now have dozens of pages of documentation on Giesselmann...he was on Himmler's private staff. I wonder if your guy is one and the same?
March 23Mar 23 Solution #10 On 3/21/2026 at 3:59 PM, BrendaM said: Hi Leigh! I now have dozens of pages of documentation on Giesselmann...he was on Himmler's private staff. I wonder if your guy is one and the same? I am sure it is the same Giesselmann.. His SS number will confirm this.. Leigh
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