Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of a mid-war production 2nd Model Luftwaffe dagger. It is a fine Solingen-produced example made by the well-known firm of Richard Abr. Herder AG, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelwares Factory), a highly desirable maker of edged weapons. The celluloid grip of this Dagger is a lovely caramel orange color, due to the fading of the celluloid material due to age and light exposure. One side is a bit lighter than the other, so that side definitely saw more light exposure. There is just a bit of cracking near the pommel, and the twisted wire wrapping is in very good shape, looking to have oxidized a bit over the years. The grip is still tight to the tang, with no wobble we can feel.

The hilt mounts are in very good condition and are made from aluminum, though it does look like they were cleaned repeatedly over the years. This unfortunately removed a lot of the antiquing, and also did remove some of the detail in the castings. The pommel still shows the "mobile" swas (hook crosses) on both sides, though they do show some scratches and wear. The oak leaves around them are raised out and heavily hand enhanced.

The cross guard is also made of Aluminum, which was an "Air Age" material, which was used to make most airplanes. It was considered fitting and desirable for the eagle-shaped guard to be made of this material. The front side is an eagle with a breast and talon area that is vaulted out much more so than the cross guards seen on other types of daggers. This guard shows wear similar to the pommel, especially on the reverse, which has removed the original oxide finish and some detail on the eagle feathering. The bird, of course, flies to the left and grasps a mobile swas (hook cross) in his talons. The reverse panel is decorated with small pebbling, which is now a bit worn. The leather blade buffer is still present in the recesses of the cross guard. The ferrule looks to be plated steel, and it is still in very good condition.

The very good condition blade is bright throughout, showing the original factory final grind cross grain throughout the blade! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is some runner wear on the central blade flat, and we can also see some minor past oxidation staining, which was cleaned away. The edge has correctly not been sharpened, and the tip is intact. Really a great looking blade here!

The ricasso of the blade on this example is marked with the later double oval "Losenge" style trademark logo of Richard Abraham Herder AG, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory) of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. This early marking has the address in two arcs surrounding their "four pointed star diamond" logo:

RICH. ABR. HERDER
(DIAMOND LOGO)
SOLINGEN

The Herder name is well known in Solingen, and this branch originally registered in 1884 as a steelware maker. As time went on they specialized in Drop Forging, and supplied blade blanks to Erfurt Arsenal and other companies. During the Third Reich period, they continued to make their own edged weapons, as well as supply blades to smaller makers. The earlier "double arc" trademark had been used on WW1 98/05 bayonets, and was specifically used on early production Army Officer daggers such as this example, per J. Anthony Carter's work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS.

The steel scabbard is in very good condition, and looks to be made from nickel or zinc plated steel. It does show some denting to the steel body, with a slight 'dog leg' bend shape to it, however this does not interfere with sheathing the blade. The hanger bands are also made from aluminum, embossed with oak leaves tipped at a 45 degree angle. These show wear similar to what is seen on the blade fittings. The throat is the narrower version seen, retained a single flush screw on the top of the scabbard.

This really is a very nice 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger with its original scabbard, made by a well-known maker and offered in very good condition, ready to display!

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