Original Excellent German WWII Army Heer Dagger by F. W. Höller of Solingen with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic 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. The fittings on this dagger look to be all silver plated, with a beautiful lightly tarnished look.

The plated aluminum pommel of this dagger is in very good condition, showing just a little wear and scratching around the edge, with some minor loss of plating. The plating elsewhere is almost entirely present, with a great patina and lovely darkening on the oak leaf side panel. The silver plated crossguard is in similar condition, with almost all of the plating intact, with a great patina. The details throughout the characteristic eagle are exceptional throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. The magnetic grip ferrule is also plated, and is in lovely good condition, showing lovely overlapping oak leaves and acorns.

Unlike most of the grips we see on German WWII daggers, this example is still the original ivory white color, and has not faded to orange or some other color. This is extremely rare to see on celluloid grips from this period. This grip is in almost perfect condition throughout, with just a bit of staining and wear. It is however a bit loose, as the celluloid often shrinks over time, so the grip and guard are no longer held in place tightly. The leather blade buffer is still present in the recesses of the cross guard.

The excellent condition blade is bright throughout, showing almost all of the original cross grain. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The needle-like tip is intact and unbent, and the edges have correctly not been sharpened. There is a bit of light staining on the blade, but no real rust, and it really looks great. There is just a bit of runner wear and swirls from cleaning.

The ricasso is maker marked 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 plated steel. This straight scabbard has very crisp, finely grained panels. The carrying bands have an excellent pattern of overlapping oak leaves and acorns, which are nicely enhanced. The throat is the thinner style, and is secured by a single flush screw on the rear of the scabbard. It is silver or nickel plated, and has a lovely oxidized look. There is not really any flaking we can see, just the usual light patination, making this a great example.

A great example from a well-known Solingen maker, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 1/2″
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 14“
Crossguard: 2 3/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 1/8″

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.