Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a early production 2nd Model Luftwaffe dagger. It is a fine Solingen-Produced example made by the Solingen-based firm of ALCOSO - Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik. The fittings look to be of aluminum, with silver and oxide plating, giving it a great look. It comes complete with its original scabbard, a belt hanger, and a lovely portepee knot.

The celluloid covered wooden grip of this dagger is a lovely caramel color, due to the fading of the celluloid material due to age and light exposure. It is a bit lighter on the reverse side, due to having less exposure to the light. It is also lighter nearer the ferrule due to the presence of the portepee. There is some scuffing and staining on the reverse, but not cracks or other damage. It is wrapped with two twisted strands of wire, which are bullion bound, and both show a lovely oxidized patina. The grip ferrule is plated steel, and has the original plating in great shape, having been protected by the portepee.

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, and has lovely oxidized silver plating, showing wear through to the aluminum on the raised areas.

The cross guard is also made of silver plated Aluminum, which was an "Air Age" material, 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 cross guards seen on other types of daggers. This 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. The silver plating and oxide coating is relatively worn, only really retained on the top of the cross guard.

Wrapped around the grip and cross guard is a service worn original aluminum bullion portepee (sword knot), tied in the Luftwaffe fashion, which looks to have moderate to heavy service. It has fraying to the bullion coating on the threads, allowing the base threads to be seen. It looks to have been tied to the dagger for some time, and the wear is limited mainly to the area between the "knot" and the loop where the portepee is tied, a very common wear pattern.

The blade on this example is not nickel plated, which is common for later produced blades, and is in excellent condition. Both sides still show the original factory final polish grind throughout the blade surfaces, with only light wear from runners. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The blade is in near mint condition except for the very tip, which shows just a bit of a bend and some oxidation staining. There is no serious oxidation anywhere on the blade, and the original leather blade buffer is in place within the deep recesses of the guard. Really a great blade here!

The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark Alcoso used from 1936-1940. It depicts the scales with the firm's initials, ACS interspersed. Above is the firm's name in an arc, ALCOSO, and below the town of business, SOLINGEN, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany.

Alcoso is a trade name of Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik, located in Solingen, the legendary German "City of Blades." Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN 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 scabbard is a typical Alcoso type, having the distinctive rounded shape to the shell, and it is really a great example, free of dents and bends. It still retains much of the original oxide coated silver finish, with only a few areas on the sides showing loss. We did notice that the bottom ball of the scabbard is in fact plated 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 a good amount of the plated finish. The throat is held in placed by two "cheesehead" screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard, and show no signs of turning.

Attached to the scabbard is a very nice belt hanger, with all spring clips fully functional. The scabbard end clips are the more complex and desirable sliding type. The buckles and keepers are embossed with the same oak and acorn motif seen throughout the dagger, and are made from zinc alloy. The hardware is marked D.R.G.M., indicating that these were registered in the German trademark office. The end clip is also marked on the back with RZM and maker code U.E. 10.. "U.E" indicates Uniformeffekten Erlaubnißschein, (Uniform Accessories Licence), and the manufacturer’s numerical code, "10". It appears the combined RZM/U.E., markings were utilized circa May 1933 to March 1935. These were used when the RZM was still being officially organized. There is unfortunately no listing of the early RZM makers. Condition is very good, showing some oxidation to the fittings, which have lost most of their original silver wash. The straps are in lovely condition, showing only light wear, with the velvet plush material on the rear in great shape.

This really is a very nice 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger, made by a well-known maker with a somber back story and offered in very good condition. Complete with scabbard, hanger, and portepee, this is the full setup, ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10"
Overall length: 15 1/4”
Crossguard: 3 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 5/8”