Original German WWII Early Army Heer Officer Dagger by F. W. Höller of Solingen with Excellent Blade, Scabbard, Hanger, and Portepee Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition Army Officer’s Dagger, produced by the well-known Solingen-based firm of F.W. Höller, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), a highly desirable maker of edged weapons. It comes complete with its original scabbard, hanger, and portepee knot, which is the full setup!

The alloy pommel of this dagger is in very good condition, showing light wear around the bottom edge. It looks to have been plated and then oxide coated, giving it a lovely blue color overall. It may be that it is made from a solid alloy like Tombak or Nickel Silver, and then oxide coated. The standing oak leaves and acorns are crisply detailed around the pommel, and there is little wear or damage of any kind.

The crossguard looks to be made in the same way, with an oxide coating overall, which is well retained. It does show some wear through on the raised areas, but for the most part looks great. There is a bit of oxidation and dirt on the ends of the “scrolls” at the edges. The details throughout the characteristic eagle are exceptional throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. The grip ferrule looks to be plated steel, and has the same blue oxide coating, however it also shows some bubbling and rusting at the edges. The grip on this example is a great ivory colored celluloid covered wood example, which has not faded to orange as so many have. This is the color they are supposed to be, and it is very rare that we see one so unfaded.

Wrapped around the grip and cross guard is an original aluminum bullion thread portepee (sword knot), tied in the Heer fashion. It definitely shows age and wear from service, particularly near the end knot, where the bullion on the cord is worn and degraded. It looks to have been on the dagger for quite some time.

The blade on this example is in excellent condition, with the factory final polish grind cross grain present throughout the blade, and showing very little wear. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The needle-like tip is still intact, with no bending, and the edge is still nice, with no chips or sharpening. There are just a few small areas of very light staining, and this is definitely one of the best blades we have ever seen.

The ricasso is etched with a “losenge” style trademark logo that reads F. W. HÖLLER / SOLINGEN, surrounding the trademark Höller “Thermometer” emblem. This is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous “City of Blades” in Western Germany, which produced many fine edged weapons. F.W. Höller, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), located in Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in western Germany. During the WWII Period they manufactured many SA and NSKK daggers, both with their “thermometer” trademark and later with the RZM code M7/33. They also produced numerous 98K bayonets and other edged weapons. The firm was founded in 1866, and registered in Solingen in 1883. By 1900 ownership had passed to Emil Höller, and it continued manufacture after WWII, finally closing in 1974. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The scabbard is a fine example, and is made of high quality plated steel, which probably had the original oxide coating applied, but it has been cleaned and polished a lot, which has removed it. It now has a lovely polished silver look. The body is mostly straight, but there are some dents about 2 inches above the bottom, which do not interfere with sheathing the blade. This scabbard has very crisp, finely pebble grained panels, and the carrying bands have a very nice overlapping oak and acorn motif, a common design seen on German edged weapons. The throat is the thinner style, and has dome head retaining screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard.

Attached to the scabbard is a very good condition belt hanger, with functional pebbled spring clips with a great patina. The buckles and keepers are engraved with the same oak and acorn motif seen throughout the dagger. The clips are the regular hinged style, made from zinc alloy, and do not have any markings that we can see. The original silver wash is still partly present on some of the hardware, showing a tarnished patina where it is retained. The straps are in very good service used condition, showing wear on both sides, indicating it was carried quite a bit during the war.

A fantastic example from a desirable Solingen maker, complete with its original scabbard, hanger, and portepee. This is the full setup! Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10″
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 14 1/2“
Crossguard: 2 3/4”
Scabbard Length: 11″

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. This early war version is quite nice, and in great shape.