Original Item: Only One Available. Here we have a lovely condition Prussian Fire Official's Dagger / Dirk with scabbard, made during the early Weimar Period following WWI. The design is more or less identical to those used during the German Empire period, as the NSDAP had not yet taken over and began to "NSDAPify" all aspects of German life.

This example is typical, with what look to be solid "German Silver" fittings, which were then silver plated and possibly blue oxide coated. The crossguard is engraved with a combed fire helmet over crossed axes, a timeless firefighting emblem. There is still much of the silver plating, however the blue oxide coating is mostly missing from the fittings. The grip is the typical wood wrapped with leather, which was then bound with twisted wire wrapping. The leather on the grip has degraded somewhat, and while the wire wrapping is present, it is a bit out of position. Otherwise the hilt is in very good condition, showing the expected wear from service, and is still tight on the tang.

The blade on this example is etched bright steel, and is actually in very good condition! It looks to have been coated with some type of lacquer, grease, or other preservative, which has now dried out but also protected the blade from oxidation. This has also given the blade a somewhat orange hue, and we have left the preservative in place. It could probably be removed, but it is part of the history of the piece. The edge has correctly not been sharpened, and the tip of the blade is in great shape.

The etching is very well executed, and on both sides are panoplies of fire fighting related regalia. One side shows a ladder, axes, and helmets, while the other side shows hoses forks and pikes, surmounted by an early design pump. These are between lovely foliate designs, and are definitely the types of motifs you would expect on a Fire officials dagger.

The ricasso of the blade is stamped with an early 1920s Eickhorn oval trademark: a Single Squirrel holding an acorn above the letters C.E.. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, while they had sought this particular trademark as early as 1915, it was not granted until after WWI, and appeared in the 1920 edition of DRAB.

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 German Silver mounted leather scabbard is in very good condition, showing only light wear to the fittings. The silver plating on the fittings is still very well retained, along with much of the blue oxidized coating. The black patent leather body shows more wear, with some cracking and flaking of the finish, as is common.

A lovely Early Weimar Period German Fire Officials Dress Dagger, ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 13 1/2"
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 18 3/4“
Crossguard: 3 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 13 3/4"

The Weimar Republic (German: Weimarer Republik), officially the German Reich (Deutsches Reich), also referred to as the German People's State (Deutscher Volksstaat) or simply the German Republic (Deutsche Republik), was the German state from 1918 to 1933. As a term, it is an unofficial historical designation that derives its name from the city of Weimar, where its constitutional assembly first took place. The official name of the republic remained the German Reich as it had been during the German Empire because of the German tradition of substates.

Although commonly translated as "German Empire," Reich here better translates as "realm" in that the term does not necessarily have monarchical connotations in itself. The Reich was changed from a constitutional monarchy into a republic. In English, the country was usually known simply as Germany, and the Weimar Republic name became mainstream only in the 1930s.