Original German WWII Early Army Heer Officer Dagger by Max Weyersberg with Scabbard – WMW Waffen Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition Army Officer’s Dagger, produced by the relatively rare Solingen-based firm Max Weyersberg, Waffenfabrik, complete with its original scabbard. 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 or tarnished, giving it a lovely deep 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, except around the edge, the first place to wear.

The crossguard looks to be made in the same way, with a blue oxide coating overall, which is very well retained. It does show some wear through on the raised areas, but for the most part looks great. There is just a bit of oxidation 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 had the same blue oxide coating, which is well retained. The celluloid grip has faded to a lovely pumpkin orange color, which is slightly lighter on one side. This occurs over time due to light exposure, so areas that get more light fade more.

The blade on this example is in very good near excellent condition, with the factory final polish grind cross grain present throughout the blade, with some fading from runner wear and cleaning. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is very little oxidation or staining, and the edge is correctly not sharpened. There is just the tiniest bit of rounding on the very tip of the blade. Really a great blade here, with no signs of being messed with!

The reverse of the blade is stamped with the WMW Waffen trademark logo:

WMW
WAFFEN

Max Weyersberg, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), was founded by a member of the larger Weyersberg family of blade makers. The company was located at Katternbergerstrasse 176 in Solingen Germany, the legendary “City of Blades” in Western Germany. Per J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, this company was founded in 1920, and registered with authorities in 1933 as a maker of cutlery, hunting/sporting knives, and edged weapons. WMW WAFFEN was their main trade name, and was originally pierced with a sword. However later in the period the WMW / WAFFEN marking with the enlarged “M” was used. The original leather blade buffer is in place within the deep recesses of the guard, though it is a bit degraded.

The scabbard is a fine example, and is made of high quality plated steel, which then had the same blue oxide coating applied as on the other fittings. There are no large dents or bends that we can see, and the plating is still well retained, though it has bubbled a bit on the narrow sides. This scabbard has very crisp, finely pebble grained panels, and the aluminum 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 two “dome head” screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard.

A lovely example from a very rare Solingen maker, complete with its original scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 1/4″
Blade Style: Spear Point Dagger
Overall length: 14“
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.