Original German Austro-Hungarian Made Pre-WWI Stag Handle Hirschfänger Hunting Dagger by A. Preis of Prague with Scabbard
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive pre-WWI Hirschfänger hunting dagger manufactured by A. Preis of Prague, complete with its stag-horn grip and original leather scabbard. The Hirschfänger was a traditional Central European hunting sidearm developed for dispatching wounded game and, over centuries of use, evolved into both a practical hunting weapon and an elaborate symbol of hunting culture. This example is particularly interesting because its maker, A. Preis of Prag, is historically documented as a Prague arms manufacturer known to have produced Hirschfänger and other weapons during the 19th century.
The broad German term Hirschfänger, literally “deer catcher,” was used for a family of long hunting knives, daggers, and short sword-like sidearms carried by hunters, gamekeepers, foresters, and hunting officials throughout the German-speaking and Central European regions.
This is a great Pre-WWI era Hirschfänger made by a Prague maker with a great scabbard. This example is in the “dagger” variety with a much thicker and wider blade. The blade has no etching and the only marking is the maker stamp at the ricasso, A. PREIS / PRAG. This would be for a maker named “A. Preis” in the city of Prague, Austria-Hungary.
The 13” blade is in good shape overall with oxidation spotting across and some past cleaning. The green felt blade buffer is almost entirely worn away with a small fragment still retained. The pommel plate has a nice pattern. The overall length is 18”.
The 15” scabbard is in good shape with a slot on the top for an additional smaller knife that is now absent. The leather has some crazing and wear with material loss in the middle.
The combination of the stag-horn grip, broad 13-inch hunting blade, A. PREIS / PRAG maker mark, surviving green felt buffer fragment, decorated pommel, and original leather scabbard with companion-knife slot makes this a particularly interesting Central European hunting sidearm. Most significantly, A. Preis can be directly documented as a Prague arms manufacturer exhibiting Hirschfänger and other weapons by 1851, giving the maker mark considerably stronger historical context than is often possible with privately produced hunting weapons of this period.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 13”
Overall Length: 18”
Scabbard Length: 15”
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