Original German Early Weimar Era Double Etched Prussian Fire Officials Dress Dagger by Carl Eickhorn with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Here we have a lovely condition Prussian Fire Official’s Dagger / Dirk with scabbard, made during the early Weimar Period following WWI. The design is more or less identical to those used during the German Empire period, as the NSDAP had not yet taken over and began to “NSDAPify” all aspects of German life.

This example is typical, with what look to be solid “German Silver” fittings, and a leather covered wooden handle, wrapped with wire. The crossguard is engraved with a combed fire helmet over crossed axes, a timeless firefighting emblem. The leather on the grip has degraded somewhat, and the wire wrapping has been completely removed. Otherwise the hilt is in very good condition, showing the expected wear from service.

The blade on this example is etched bright steel, and has been cleaned and polished over the years, which unfortunately has removed the darkened background. This has made the etched panels on the sides faint, but we can still them in the light. On one side there is a ladder, axes, and helmets, while the other side shows hoses forks and pikes. These are between lovely foliate designs, and are definitely the types of motifs you would expect on a Fire officials dagger.

The ricasso of the blade is stamped with an early 1920s Eickhorn oval trademark: a Single Squirrel holding an acorn above the letters C.E.. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous “City of Blades” in Western Germany, while they had sought this particular trademark as early as 1915, it was not granted until after WWI, and appeared in the 1920 edition of DRAB.

According to J. Anthony Carter’s book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this company was 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 German Silve mounted leather scabbard is in very good condition, showing only light wear to the fittings. The black patent leather body shows more wear, with degradation to the gloss black finish, as often happens over the years.

A lovely Early Weimar Period German Fire Officials Dress Dagger, ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 13 3/8″
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 18 3/4“
Crossguard: 3 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 13 3/4″

The Weimar Republic (German: Weimarer Republik), officially the German Reich (Deutsches Reich), also referred to as the German People’s State (Deutscher Volksstaat) or simply the German Republic (Deutsche Republik), was the German state from 1918 to 1933. As a term, it is an unofficial historical designation that derives its name from the city of Weimar, where its constitutional assembly first took place. The official name of the republic remained the German Reich as it had been during the German Empire because of the German tradition of substates.

Although commonly translated as “German Empire,” Reich here better translates as “realm” in that the term does not necessarily have monarchical connotations in itself. The Reich was changed from a constitutional monarchy into a republic. In English, the country was usually known simply as Germany, and the Weimar Republic name became mainstream only in the 1930s.