Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition early production Army Officer's Dagger, produced by the legendary Solingen-based firm Carl Eickhorn. The fittings on this dagger actually look to be brass or tombak alloy, something that we have not really seen before! They were then plated and antiqued, which has now worn a bit to give the dagger a great broken in look. The scabbard also appears to be alloy with plating, which looks to possibly be silver. Definitely a very interesting early example!

The alloy pommel of this dagger is in very good condition, showing moderate wear with much of the original plating still intact, showing a brass color where the plating is worn away. The standing oak leaves and acorns are crisply detailed and have good darkened backgrounds, which really stand out against the bright raised portions. The plated crossguard is in similar condition, showing some wear but also bright and shiny, made from the same type of alloy. The details throughout the characteristic eagle are exceptional throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. There is some wear through on the edges, and there is also some on the breast area of the eagle.

The grip on this example is beautiful ivoroid, showing a lovely grain and faded color from exposure to light in areas. It shows some scratches and other wear, as well as cracking near the grip ferrule, however the color is still very well retained, something we rarely see. Really a lovely grip with a great patina! The alloy grip ferrule looks great, bright with antiquing between the oak leaves.

The blade on this example is in very nice condition, looking to have suffered some water related oxidation and rusting, which was then polished out. This has left some visible areas of past pitting, as well as some oxidation damage to the edge near the tip. The blade has definitely been cleaned and polished to remove this at some point. In spite of this, there is still some of the factory final polish grind cross grain present near the guard, especially near the maker marking. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The edge is correctly unsharpened, and the tip looks to be intact, however the cleaning to remove the oxidation definitely altered the edge in some areas.

The rear of the blade is clearly etched with the 1933-1935 Eickhorn trademark "losenge" logo: a double oval surrounding a seated squirrel holding a sword, with CARL EICKHORN / SOLINGEN surrounding the squirrel trademark. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany.

According to J. Anthony Carter's book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this logo was one of many very similar but not identical trademark logos used during the 1933-1935 period. The company was originally 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 original leather blade buffer is missing.

The scabbard is a fine example, made of high quality alloy, showing some bending and denting to the exterior, which does not interfere with sheathing the blade. This scabbard has very crisp, finely pebble grained panels, and the nickel alloy carrying bands have a very nice overlapping oak and acorn motif, a common design seen on German edged weapons. The throat is the thicker style, and has flat head retaining screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard. The finish looks to be silver or nickel, and is still well retained, with some areas of plating loss that show the base metal.

A lovely early example from the most legendary of all Solingen makers, complete with scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 3/4"
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 14 5/8“
Crossguard: 2 3/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 1/8"

The German Army (Heer) first carried a dagger beginning in 1935. The weapon was worn in lieu of occasions not demanding the wearing of a more formal sword. The dagger design was quite attractive featuring silvered heavy fittings with white or colored grip. The crossguard depicted a Wehrmacht open-winged eagle clutching a wreathed swas.

The pommel depicted oak leafing around the outer circumference. The scabbard had panels of pebble designs. Later produced examples were plated with nickel, and late war-made pieces were unplated, finished in a gray color metal. This early war version is quite nice, and in great shape.