Detecting.org.uk Home > Nazi Gold > The SS Deaths Head Ring Treasure, or, The Treasure of Wewelsburg castle. The SS Deaths Head Treasure Above: Portrait of SS General Reinhard Heydrich wearing his 'Ehrenring' or Totenkopfring. Image courtesy of NARA. The mountains around Wewelsburg castle in North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) may still be home to a treasure of great value that was concealed there by the SS at the end of World War II. The SS Ehrenring (SS Honour Ring) or Totenkopfring (Death's Head Ring) was given to members of the SS as an award for bravery. Upon the death of the recipient, the rings were to be returned to Wewelsburg castle, the 'spiritual home' of the SS. The rings were made of silver and manufactured by Gahr & Co. of Munich As the war drew to a close Himmler ordered that all of the rings that had been returned (around 9,280) to castle should be hidden in a cave somewhere near Wewelsburg and the entrance to the cave sealed forever with explosives. Assuming that former SS members did not return and recover the rings after the war, the rings could still be hidden on a mountain some where near Wewelsburg castle today. At current market values, the rings would be worth between �3,000 and �5,000 each, or �27,840,000 - �46,400,000 in total. Although, if the hoard were ever to make it to the open market, they would no longer be rare, their value would be dramatically reduced. The rings held at the castle were only those that were returned from the battlefields, in many cases soldiers remains were not recovered, or rings were lost, so genuine examples of Totenkopfring's do turn up occasionally. Accurate copies of the rings are widely available online and from Militaria dealers. It is not unusual for these copies to be offered for sale as the genuine article. Check out some of the following books for guidance on avoiding fake Third Reich militaria: