{"product_id":"original-german-wwii-land-customs-official-dagger-by-w-k-c-waffenfabrik-of-solingen-with-scabbard-rare","title":"Original German WWII Land Customs Official Dagger by W.K.C. Waffenfabrik of Solingen with Scabbard - RARE","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice and extremely rare \u003cem\u003eZollgrenzschutz\u003c\/em\u003e Land Customs Official Dress Dagger. The Zollgrenzschutz (ZGS) was an organization under the German Finance Ministry from 1937 to 1945. It was charged with guarding Germany's borders, acting as a combination Border Patrol and Customs \u0026amp; Immigration service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt originated in the early 19th century as a tariff enforcement unit of the Prussian government. Reorganized in 1919 under the Weimar Republic following World War I, it gradually became more militarized and transformed into a paramilitary force, also due to the economic woes of blockade, inflation and Great Depression.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn NSDAP Germany it was reformed again in 1937 by Fritz Reinhardt, a State Secretary of the Finance Ministry. It came to comprise about 50,000 officials. The Border Police (Grenzpolizei), which had the tasks of passport and border control, was different from the Customs Border Guards (Zollgrenzschutz).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeinrich Himmler tried to bring the Zollgrenzschutz under the control of the Schultzstaffel (SS), which was unsuccessful at first. During the war, the units were used in occupied territories outside of Germany. A significant portion of younger officials were recruited to the Wehrmacht, leaving the Zollgrenzschutz with older men. After the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt on AH, the units were taken out of the control of the Finance Ministry and placed under Amt IV (Gestapo) of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was deactivated at the end of World War II in Europe when Germany was partitioned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis fine Land Customs example is a fine example in great condition. It has plated aluminum fittings, which do look to have been cleaned, which has removed the plating in areas, especially on the cross guard, which just shows some patination in the recesses of the design. The pommel is in excellent condition, showing minor wear to the upper surface. There are the usual standing oak leaves around the edges, which look to be hand carved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe matching crossguard features an open-winged eagle with wing tips that rise upward. The detailing throughout the guard is exceptional, much better than that seen on the later bare aluminum examples. The reverse of the guard has been polished enough to almost totally remove the plating. The silvered ferrule nicely matches the rest of the hilt mounts. The grip is wood covered in fine dark forest green Moroccan leather. This leather remains in good condition, tightly wrapped with twisted silver coated brass wire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scabbard shell is straight throughout, covered in matching dark green Moroccan leather. Other than some normal wear it remains in very good condition, with some small scattered scuffs that have removed the finish. The plated steel mounts retain some of the original silvering, however they have definitely been cleaned, removing some of the plating where the metal had oxidized. These mounts are retained by headless side screws and are styled with decorative lines on the obverse only.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe excellent condition blade is bright throughout, showing almost all of the original cross grain. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The needle-like tip is intact and unbent, and the edges have correctly not been sharpened. There are only a few tiny stains on the blade, and light runner wear, which is present on just about every dagger out there. This is a really great blade, one of the best we have seen on ANY type of German dagger!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse ricasso is etched with the trademark \u003cstrong\u003e\"Knights-Head\"\u003c\/strong\u003e (Ritter-helm) logo of legendary maker \u003cem\u003eWeyersberg Kirschbaum \u0026amp; Cie of Solingen\u003c\/em\u003e, over the firms initials of \u003cstrong\u003eWKC \/ SOLINGEN\u003c\/strong\u003e. This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany - a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ''Kings head'' as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum \u0026amp; Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded as \u003cem\u003eW.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH,\u003c\/em\u003e and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a truly remarkable, scarce dagger from the Land Customs Officials of WWII Germany! Comes ready to display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBlade Length: 10”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCrossguard Width: 3”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGrip Length: 4 ½”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTotal Length: 15”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eScabbard Length: 11 ½”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40428670582853,"sku":"ONSV22WON239","price":2695.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/products\/ONSV22WON239__02.jpg?v=1668796692","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-german-wwii-land-customs-official-dagger-by-w-k-c-waffenfabrik-of-solingen-with-scabbard-rare","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}