Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of mid-war production 2nd Model Luftwaffe dagger, complete with its original scabbard. It is a fine Solingen-Produced example made by the well-known firm Tigerwerk Lauterjung & Co.. The celluloid grip of this dagger is a nice rich caramel color. It has a nice tapered shape, and is tightly wrapped with bullion-wrapped twisted wires. There are a few scuffs and stains, and there are also some small chunks / chips missing near the pommel and cross guards.

The hilt mounts are in similar condition with a lovely patina of age. The pommel is very good and still shows most of the original detail. The "mobile" swass on both sides are clear and the oak leaves around them are raised out and heavily hand enhanced. The pommel appears to be solid aluminum, which was given a dark "Airplane Gray" finish overall, with the raised areas polished.

The crossguard 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 crossguards seen on other types of daggers. The guard shows little wear and has great feathering on the eagle. The bird, of course, flies to the left and grasps a mobile swas in his talons. The reverse panel is decorated with small pebbling, which is still clear. There is some of the original plating visible, which has matured to a lovely tarnished patina. The ferrule looks to be plated steel, and is in very good condition, still retaining some of the original oxide finish.

The very good condition blade is mostly bright throughout, still showing a good amount of the original factory final grind cross grain on both sides. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The sides of the blade have correctly not been sharpened, though there is a bit of oxidation on the very edge, and the tip may have been re-profiled a bit. We can see that there is past oxidation and cleaning, which have made the cross grain faint in areas. The original leather blade buffer is still present in the recesses of the guard.

The reverse ricasso is marked with the "Left Facing Tiger" trademark of the Lauterjung & Co. firm, and to the right of the trademark is:

TIGER
SOLINGEN

Lauterjung & Co., Tiger Stahlwaren- und Waffenfabrik (Steelware and Weapon Factory) is a famous manufacturer in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Their trademark was a Tiger, and their factory was thus often referred to as Tigerwerk (Tiger Works). The firm was founded in 1873 to make knives, scissors, and other steel ware, and survived until after the war. There were several different branches of the Lauterjung family involved in edged weapons, operating under different trade names to avoid confusion. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The scabbard is in good shape, still straight, though there are dents on both sides near the bottom of the scabbard, which do not interfere with sheathing the blade. It looks like it was originally plated, however the finish is now mostly worn away. We did notice that the bottom ball of the scabbard is in fact brass, and not steel like the rest of the scabbard. It still retains the finely pebbled panels on both sides, with the correct finely toothed oak leaves and acorns on the panel nearest the drag. The hanging bands are aluminum, and have worn, losing most of the plating and some of the detail. The hanger rings have actually almost worn through both bands. The throat is held in placed by two "cheesehead" screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard, which show some signs of turning

This really is a lovely patinated example of a 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger with scabbard, made by a well-known maker and offered in very nice condition. Ready to display!

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