Original Excellent German WWII Early Heer Army Officer Dagger by W.K.C. Waffenfabrik of Solingen with Scabbard, Hanger, and Portepee Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent wartime production Army Officer’s Dagger, produced by the legendary Solingen-based firm of W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, a highly desirable maker of edged weapons. The fittings on this dagger look to be silver plated aluminum alloy, which was then antiqued to give it a great look. This is usually only seen on early production daggers, and later zinc alloy was used. The aluminum pommel is in very good condition, showing wear through around the bottom edge and on the very bottom. The standing oak leaves and acorns are crisply detailed around the pommel, with some of the antiquing still present in the recessed areas.

The crossguard looks to be made in the same way, with antiqued plating over the aluminum, which is well retained, but definitely worn on the sharp edges. The oxide coating also looks to have been worn away on the reverse. The details throughout the characteristic WKC eagle are exceptional throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. The grip on this example is celluloid over a wood base, and has faded just a bit to a light amber color, definitely very close to the original ivory white. This grip is in excellent condition, with no cracks or other major issues that we can see. The steel grip ferrule is also silver-plated, and now shows a tarnished patina. The hilt is still tight on the tang of the blade, and the leather blade buffer is still present.

Wrapped around the grip and cross guard is an original aluminum bullion thread portepee (sword knot), tied in the Heer fashion. It is in excellent condition, showing just a few small areas of fraying and wear, with no major oxidation present.

The excellent condition blade is bright throughout, showing the original cross grain throughout the blade surface. 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 the usual runner wear on the blade surface, however this is present on just about every dagger out there. There are also just a few small stained areas keeping this from being a MINT example. This is really a great blade!

The reverse ricasso is etched with the trademark “Knights-Head” (Ritter-helm) logo of legendary maker Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie of Solingen, over the firms initials of WKC / SOLINGEN. This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany – a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ”Kings head” as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded as W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.

The scabbard is a classic WKC example, and looks to originally have been silver plated with an oxide coating, as with the handle fittings. This is still well retained in some areas, while the rest has worn down to the silver plating layer. This scabbard does not have any dents we can see, and it still has crisp finely grained panels. The carrying bands have an excellent pattern of overlapping oak leaves and acorns, with hand enhancing evident on each of the leaves, though they do show some moderate oxidation and wear to the softer alloy.

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 condition, with the velvet on the back well retained, and the silver bullion front side showing only light wear.

An excellent Heer Army Dagger from a legendary maker, complete with scabbard and hanger. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10″
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 14 3/4“
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.