Original German WWII 1st Model Aluminum Fitted Luftwaffe Dagger by TIGER with Belt Hanger Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a very nice 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger, made by the desirable maker Tigerwerk Lauterjung & Co., of Solingen, Germany. The matte Aluminum fittings indicate that it was made in sometime after 1938. Previous to this, the mounts had been of alloy brass or nickel, but Aluminum was an “Air Age” material, which was used to make most airplanes. It was considered fitting and desirable for the mounts to be made of this, and the later 2nd model continued to use aluminum as well.

The aluminum mounts defy all age and remain nice and mostly bright, with a fine matte finish. The pommel has almost all of the original gilding intact on the “Broken Sun Cross” swas medallions, and the same is true on the cross guard. The guard is the standard down swept “wing” type, with good detailing.  The rim of the pommel shows some small dents but nothing major.  The grip is a carved wood base covered in blue Moroccan leather, with just a few spots of finish wear. It is wrapped with twisted wires wrapped with bullion, for a very pleasing look.

The 12 1/4 inch blade of this piece is a high quality nickel-plated example, in excellent condition. There is the expected runner wear, but the plating appears fully intact, with no edge chips, major dents, or bending to the tip. The original blue Moroccan leather blade buffer is in place on top of the guard. The reverse ricasso is marked with the “Left Facing Tiger” trademark of the Lauterjung & Co. firm, and to the right of the trademark is:

TIGER

SOLINGEN

Lauterjung & Co., Tiger Stahlwaren- und Waffenfabrik is a famous manufacturer in Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in Western Germany. Their trademark was a Tiger, and their factory was thus often referred to as Tigerwerk (Tiger Works). The firm was founded in 1873 to make knives, scissors, and other steel ware, and survived until after the war. There were several different branches of the Lauterjung family involved in edged weapons, operating under different trade names to avoid confusion. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout with no dents. The Moroccan leather covering the scabbard nicely matches the grip and is in very good condition. There are some areas where the leather finish has worn, but that is expected on a scabbard of this age. Also the lower seam has started to come unglued a bit. The mounts on this scabbard are all matte aluminum, and are still very attractive and only have a bit of minor denting and scratching.  These mounts are retained by headless flush mounted side screws.

The attached aluminum chain has six ringlets making up the upper chain and ten on the lower. These two chains are attached to an aluminum snap clip, which is marked on the back with the OLC in a diamond trademark of Overhoff & Cie. of Lüdenscheid, who produced numerous clothing accessories. It is also marked GES. / GESCHÜTZT, for Gesetzlich Geschutzt (Protected By Law), indicating that the clip was a trademarked design.

A very nice example of the classic 1st model Luftwaffe dagger by a very desirable maker, ready to display!