Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice Army Officer's Dagger, produced by the legendary Solingen-based firm Carl Eickhorn. The pommel of this dagger is in very good condition, showing a little wear on the very tip, but is otherwise very good. The silvering has a nice aged patina throughout, and the standing oak leaves and acorns are crisply detailed and have good backgrounds.

The crossguard is in good condition as well, though polishing has worn off almost all of the original plating, leaving a lovely gray patina on the base metal. The details throughout the characteristic Carl Eickhorn eagle are exceptional throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. The grip ferrule is also silver-plated, and is in very nice condition, with fine dark patination.

The grip is has faded to a nice deep ivory, typical of celluloid grips from this period. It has the typical double line spiral engraving around the grip. There is some wear on the reverse side, which has worn away the celluloid a bit.

The scabbard is a fine Carl Eickhorn example, and is plated steel. It is mostly straight, though it does have two dents on the bottom 1/3 that make it slightly skewed. The scabbard has very crisp, finely pebbled panels. The carrying bands have an excellent pattern of overlapping oak leaves and acorns, which are nicely enhanced, but also show some wear. The throat is the wider style, with securing screws on the thinner sides of the scabbard. The finish looks to be silver or nickel, and has faded to a lovely patina.

The very nice blade is mostly bright throughout, showing almost all of the original cross grain in the light. The needle-like tip is still intact, with no bending. Overall finish is very nice, with just some running wear and light oxidation in places. The reverse ricasso is etched with the 1935-41 Eickhorn trademark: a seated squirrel holding a sword, with the word ORIGINAL above and the firm's name and location, Eickhorn / SOLINGEN below. The original leather blade buffer is unfortunately missing. Still, this is really a nice example, especially the blade.

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. These daggers are often encountered with an aluminum portepee.