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Luftwaffe dagger help sought

stanier

Well-Known Member
I'm looking for some help on a topic, though related to our interest goes way off the beaten track in terms of my knowledge. Can someone here point me in the right direction please?

Some years ago I came by a Luftwaffe dagger that was given to me by an elderly gentleman my father knew. My father had helped this gentleman with a number of model engineering projects and in conversation happened to mention we'd had a weekend at a WWII preserved railway reenacting event and that I was very interested in the era. The gentleman subsequently revealed that during the closing stages of the war when in Germany he'd collected German military daggers and kindly asked my father to pass a Luftwaffe example on to me, along with a strict instruction to keep the blade well oiled and don't touch it with bare fingers for fear of staining the blade! Below are some pictures of the dagger I have and some pictures of the gentleman's bigger collection that he sent along too.

Anyway, notwithstanding the gentleman's enormously kind generosity (I personally never met him!) in the cold light of day having an 11.5 inch bladed weapon (just under 17 inch total length when in scabbard) adorned with swastika's is something I'm personally not hugely comfortable with and I'm looking to sell it. It's been sitting at the back of a locked cupboard for some years now. Trouble is, I'm not too clear how to go about it and where to get honest advice I can trust. I did contact an online dealer who said that because there is no makers mark on the blade it is a repro and he offered peanuts for it, but then I found a forum that said there were Luftwaffe daggers made with no makers mark and mine has several other features consistent with pre-May 1945 daggers, such as scabbard with no seams very fine oak leaves castings and wood lined handle amongst others, no "Berlin" marks anywhere, plus the history of how the elderly gentleman acquired it.

As I say, anyone know where I could get help with this please? It will be much appreciated. And rest assured I won't be posting this item anywhere or selling on an internet forum at all!

Pics are here:
IMG_1869.JPG

IMG_1870.JPG

IMG_1871.JPG
 

dmar836

Well-Known Member
I think you could find a lot on US Militaria Forum. Honest opinions. There are many flakes in the hobby(even on that forum) though and just as many fakes knives. It's a great story but everyone gets burned at some point so I would want to be sure he wasn't passing you a nice replica a a nice gesture.
I wouldn't be too concerned with "objects". That's all they are. Do-gooders point at such things unjustly IMO.
I'm afraid there is no way to research without putting it out there for info.
Keep us informed.
Dave
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
With all due respect, it does not look good....small details on the handle and eagle.
...but please get yourself a second or third opinion...
With all due respect...the first repros were already produced in June 1945..to serve all GI with trophies.
 

stanier

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the contributions guys. I’m with you Dave and thought the guy had presented a nice replica, but my dad is certain what the gentleman told him.

From the bit research of research I’ve been able to do there were “repros” made in Germany post May 45 from original parts to satisfy GI demand but they had to carry marks such as “Berlin” or “Germany”. In the end I really don’t know and it hasn’t cost me a penny so I’m not going to lose anything, but I’d like to know so I can sell it or bin it. And given I’ve had one dealer try and tell me it’s a repro on the basis of evidence that turns out to be inaccurate makes me wonder, especially as some of the repros I’ve seen are nothing like the quality of this.

Pilot, what details on the handle and eagle look wrong to you?

Cheers

Chris
 

dmar836

Well-Known Member
Yeah, let me guess. "I've done this for 20+ years and you've got yourself a common repop, I'll take it off your hands for $50."?
Of course that would be good evidence it's real.
 

stanier

Well-Known Member
That was about the size of it Dave.

After sending him a number of pics the dealer was adamant that a pre-May 45 dagger should have a makers mark on the blade. This has no mark, so I’m about believing him when I stumble on a thread where I learn no mark in the blade is not uncommon at all, and actually no makers mark might indicate more authenticity than some of the ones that are about, particularly if they carry the words “Berlin” or “Germany”!
 

Monsoon

Well-Known Member
With all due respect...the first repros were already produced in June 1945..to serve all GI with trophies.

That's true, but the ones that were made in June 1945 were made from parts that were left over from stock on hand. So, are they originals or repros?
 
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