Original Item: Only One Available. We just purchased this Kriegsmarine dagger at a large military show. It is a fine Solingen-Produced totally original WWII German 2nd Model Naval Dagger by the legendary firm Carl Eickhorn, complete with the original gold-plated "lightning bolt" style brass scabbard. This is a very nice service used example, which looks to have seen long use in service during the war.

This example was almost certainly purchased by a high ranking officer early in the wartime period, as the pommel is a 1938 changeover type. It has very deeply inset wings and an impressive vault wreath. The details to this bird are also choice, with a striking eye, beak and breast. The crossguard is the standard Eickhorn type, very well executed and heavily hand-enhanced. The gilding is very well retained on the grip, much moreso than we usually see. The grip is in excellent condition, still showing the original ivory color, without any of the discoloration that we usually see. It shows just a bit of wear and some dirt in the grooves, with no chips, cracks. or other major damage. The twisted brass wire wrapping is in excellent tight condition. There is little wear to the grip overall, so it does not appear to have been handled often. The scabbard locking button is fully functional, and shows light wear and patination.

The blade is a typical unplated example, with a fouled anchor etch on both sides of the carbon steel blade. It does however look like the blade suffered significant oxidation at some point, particularly on the bottom half of the blade, where some pit marks are evident. The blade was then cleaned, polished, and restored, now showing a bright finish overall, This has however removed the darkening in the etched design, and also made the etched maker logo at bit faint. The tip is still intact, and the edge is correctly unsharpened.

The blade's ricasso is stamped with the post 1941 Eickhorn simplified trademark: a seated "regardent" squirrel looking backward over its shoulder, with the firm's name and location, ORIGINAL / EICKHORN / SOLINGEN below. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, and were particularly desirable even among other Solingen producers. Their "Field Marshall" series of officer's swords are all highly collectible.

According to J. Anthony Carter's book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all Solingen makers. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers.

The lightning bolt scabbard is in very good condition, and does show some denting and bending from use, but still looks great. The gold wash is still present in many areas, with the rest now displaying a lovely golden patina. The scabbard is stamped with well-defined palmettes around the bands and lightning bolts, ermine feet and acanthus leaves down to the chape. The bands feature overlapping oak leaves and acorns. The ring ferrules are the type where only the center has serrations, and the rings are still present. The throat is retained by dome headed screws on the narrow sides, however only one is present. The finish overall is still very nice, with a lovely patina.

Overall a lovely service used example of a hard to find dagger by a legendary maker, complete with the original scabbard! A worthy addition to any knife collection. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10"
Overall length: 15 3/8”
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 11 1/4”