Original German WWII Land Customs Official Dagger by Paul Weyersberg of Solingen with Scabbard – RARE Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice and extremely rare Zollgrenzschutz Land Customs Official Dress Dagger, made by the well-known firm of Paul Weyersberg & Co., Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), one of the many different firms run by members of the large Weyersberg family of Solingen. The Zollgrenzschutz (ZGS) was an organization under the German Finance Ministry from 1937 to 1945. It was charged with guarding Germany’s borders, acting as a combination Border Patrol and Customs & Immigration service.

It originated in the early 19th century as a tariff enforcement unit of the Prussian government. Reorganized in 1919 under the Weimar Republic following World War I, it gradually became more militarized and transformed into a paramilitary force, also due to the economic woes of blockade, inflation and Great Depression.

In NSDAP Germany it was reformed again in 1937 by Fritz Reinhardt, a State Secretary of the Finance Ministry. It came to comprise about 50,000 officials. The Border Police (Grenzpolizei), which had the tasks of passport and border control, was different from the Customs Border Guards (Zollgrenzschutz).

Heinrich Himmler tried to bring the Zollgrenzschutz under the control of the Schultzstaffel (SS), which was unsuccessful at first. During the war, the units were used in occupied territories outside of Germany. A significant portion of younger officials were recruited to the Wehrmacht, leaving the Zollgrenzschutz with older men. After the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt on AH, the units were taken out of the control of the Finance Ministry and placed under Amt IV (Gestapo) of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA).

It was deactivated at the end of World War II in Europe when Germany was partitioned.

This fine Land Customs example is a fine example in great condition, and features a lovely nickel plated blade. It has plated aluminum fittings, which were originally plated and then oxidized, however wear and cleaning has removed a lot of the original plating. This is now really only retained in the recesses of the design, especially on the cross guard, which just shows some patination in the recesses of the design. The pommel is in very good condition, showing wear to the upper surface, especially around the edge. There are the usual standing oak leaves around the edges, which look to be hand carved.

The matching crossguard features an open-winged eagle with wing tips that rise upward, unique to the customs service. The detailing throughout the guard is exceptional, much better than that seen on the later bare aluminum examples. The reverse of the guard has been polished enough to mostly remove the plating. The silvered ferrule actually still has a nice patina on it. The grip is wood covered in fine dark forest green Moroccan leather. This leather remains in very good condition, tightly bound with bullion-wrapped twisted wires, still showing much of the original finish.

The blade is in very good condition and retains virtually all of the nickel-plated finish. There are just a few small areas of light oxidation, as well as some runner wear and surface scratches from cleaning. The needle-like tip is intact and unbent, and the edges have correctly not been sharpened. There are no nicks or other damage to the edge, making this a really great example.

This great example was made by Paul Weyersberg & Co. of Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in western Germany. The reverse ricasso is etched with PAUL WEYERSBERG & Co. / SOLINGEN in double ovals around the firms trademark “Sword-and-Wreath” logo, which was the only marking they used during the Third Reich era. This company was one of many in Solingen owned by members of the Weyersberg family. The company survived the war, but ceased production in 1955. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout, covered in matching dark green Moroccan leather. Other than some normal wear it remains in very good condition, with some small scattered scuffs that have removed the finish. The plated steel mounts retain almost all of the original silver plating, now lightly tarnished. These mounts are retained by headless side screws and are styled with decorative lines around the entire scabbard. The side screws do show some turning and deformation to the heads, and it feels like the runners may have been adjusted or removed from the throat, probably to prevent marring of the blade.

This is a truly remarkable, scarce dagger from the Land Customs Officials of WWII Germany! Comes ready to display!

Dimensions:
Blade Length: 10”
Crossguard Width: 3”
Grip Length: 4 ½”
Total Length: 15”
Scabbard Length: 11 ½”