Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a very good service used condition 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger made in in the mid-to late 1930s by Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik, of Solingen, Germany. Starting in 1938, the move was made to aluminum fittings, so this dagger was made before that time. The mountings all look to be made of solid nickel alloy, which originally would have been fully silver plated, often with a blue oxide "aircraft gray" coating. The plating is mostly worn away, with just bit still present on the crossguards around the insignia. It comes complete with an original scabbard, chain hanger with clip, and aluminum bullion portepee knot.

The rim of the pommel shows some usage but there are no major damage, just some light overall denting. The slightly vaulted pommel shows the original "Broken Sun Cross" swas medallions, which the type that is inserted, and they have lost the plating surrounding the symbols. The brass on the emblems has oxidized to a lovely mustard colored patina. The grip is a carved wood base covered in blue Moroccan leather, which shows moderate wear, with the finish now faded more towards brown overall. The original four brass wire wrapping, with center pair twisted, is still fully intact, but the plating is completely missing, replaced with a mellow brass patina. The guard is the standard down swept "wing" type, with good detailing remaining, and with two more inlaid "sunwheel" swas (hook crosses),, which still show a bit of the plating and oxide coating between the arms.

The blade of this piece is a high quality nickel-plated example, which looks to have seen a good amount of use. The plating is now retained at about 50%, with the "lower" part of the blade missing most due to cleaning and wear. There is some light oxidation staining where the plating is missing, and some past peppering evident towards the tip of the blade. The plating is also worn away on the flats from runner ear. There are some dents and nicks in the edge, and the tip looks to have possibly been reprofiled due to damage. The leather blade buffer is no longer present on top of the crossguard.

The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark Alcoso used from 1936-1940, which depicts the scales with the firm's initials, ACS interspersed. Alcoso is a trade name of Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory), located in Solingen, the legendary German "City of Blades." Per J. Anthony Carter's fine workGERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS,the company was a major manufacturer of edged weapons and tools from the end of the 19th century up until the WWII period. Unfortunately, as NSDAP-control increased, brothers Carl Gustav and Dr. Alexander Coppel, the Jewish owners of the firm, were forced out. In 1936 the firm had been "Aryanized", and started using the name ALCOSO to hide the Jewish family name. By the end of 1936 the brothers were ejected from their Solingen offices, and by 1940 the brand trademark initials ACS were changed to AWS to reflect the change in ownership and name: Alexander Coppel Solingen to Alcoso-Werk Solingen. Carl Gustav Coppel committed suicide in Solingen in 1941, and Dr. Alexander Coppel was arrested in 1942 and sent to Theresienstadt Prison camp, where he died August 5th 1942. The factory itself was destroyed by Allied bombers in November 1944.

The magnetic scabbard shell is straight throughout with no dents, and the blue Moroccan leather covering the scabbard is in excellent condition, with virtually no loss of the finish. There is no lifting at the seam, which is very hard to locate at present. The fittings are plated solid nickel like the hilt, and are in very nice shape, with a lovely lightly oxidized patina. The throat, drag, and ramp are secured by the correct flush mount screws.

The attached nickel alloy chain has nine ringlets making up the upper chain and fourteen on the lower, not counting the rings attached to the scabbard fittings. This is a bit more than we usually see, but matches other examples by this maker. These two chains are attached to an nickel alloy snap clip, which is still functional.

A lovely service used condition early example of the classic 1st model Luftwaffe dagger, by a Solingen maker with a somber back story. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 12 1/8"
Overall length: 17 3/4”
Crossguard: 4 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 13 1/2”