UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Hunting, Forestry, and Shooting Forum A Wolfsangle Waidblatt

The Wolfsangle is the 13th rune and it represents the balance between light and dark, creative force and destructive force, good and evil. The Wolfsangle dates back to the oldest of runes ... when the second alphabet of runes came around, that symbol was no longer part of it. The symbol is ancient and has existed for centuries and has always had the same meaning. It was first used by some extremist group in Germany during the 1500's, then it was appropriated briefly by the Nazi party during the 3rd Reich period.

So whats that got to do with the hunting association? Well I'll explain ...

I first saw a line drawing of this weapon about 6 years ago in a 1942 Deutsche Jägerschaft publication. I realized then that these pieces were in direct competition to the F.Dula hunting sidearms we edged weapon collectors sometimes see. I never thought that I would ever find an example but this piece turned up a few months ago.

As you can see the crossguard is in the shape of a wolfsangle. The designer of this unusual knife and accessories was Karl Friedrich Lippert - an artist, designer and avid hunter of the period, his patent for this design was established with the Berlin patant office in October 1936. I believe production started fairly soon after, quite how many were produced I'm not sure but not very many I suspect? The maker is Heinrich Scherping out of Hannover, widely known for his fine damascus shotguns during the Imperial period and he was also a purveyor to the Emperor and many king's courts of the time.

The two implements you see with the knife are a throwback to an earlier time, the small knife actually a scalpel used to dress the game, whilst the tapered, needle looking item is a marrow awl and sharpening steel. These two additional tools are sometimes seen accompanying much earlier Hirschfänger/Waidblatt patterns.

I must thank a couple guys who helped me out with this piece, firstly, Matt Calderone of Matts Collectibles, he found this piece and gave me the opportunity to purchase it and to Bill Warda who acted for me during the purchase. Without these two guys I would not have had the opportunity to own such a wonderful and unusual piece.

Now to the case which to me is an integral part of any display, it was made by Bill Warda, (WWII), in this particular case he has used quarter-sawn oak, the finishing touches within the case are all of the highest quality, Bill has cased many of my pieces and I have always been very happy with the results. I'm sure he'll be able to elaborate more on the materials he uses.

Gary

2

A copy of the line drawing that so intrigued me some 6 years ago

Gary, Super nice and i do not believe I have ever seen one. Must be very rare. Thanks for sharing, James

Very, very nice. Amazing how closely the real item mirrors the catalog which is not always the case. Even the utensils are exact. Great grouping and look super in the case.

That's just too Cool! A great find - Congrats!

Absolutely stunning Gary-can we see this and the Dula side by side?
Paul

Paul,

I can't give you a side-by-side comparison, but I have a shot of the Dula and its Nicker. These
weapons were utilitarian and designed for heavy use in the field and during the hunt as opposed to the classy dress sidearms that most of us like to collect. Many times they'll be found
with period wear, tear and sharpening to the blades.

If you ever get a chance to hold one of these, you'll be amazed at the balance and weight to them. There wasn't much that you
couldn't "slice and dice" with one of these babies!

Best regards!

Bill

I was hoping you guys would like this piece, it's always nice to know that I'm not the only one to enjoys these knives.
Here's a scan of an original advertisment in one of the period hunting magazines.

Paul, you'll have to wait until I get back from the states after the New Year to see the two together.


Gary

Gary,

Ahh, looking at this ad tells me exactly why this damned thing is so rare, it's the price!

Forty-five Reichsmarks was a small fortune back in those days ... consider this, a Heer officer's dagger, with an ivory grip,was only around 22RM. I think that's why these never made it "off the ground'" so to speak.

You could have added a lovely Damascus pattern (except Turkish) to the blade for still less than one of these beauties. heh...

Best!

Bill

Bill

Your right, I saw the price but never put 2 and 2 together, probably it is so expensive because of the time and effort it took to produce just one example, these of course were all handforged and not mass produced as the military and political daggers were.

Gary

Bill
Having seen many of the displays you have done for Gary,may I take this opportunity to complement you on some amazing work,creating your own works of art which complement the pieces themselves perfectly-you are clearly both an gifted artisan and fine artist.
Paul

Gary,
What a pleasure it was to have seen this wonderful piece. The quality is really something to be believed. That blade had to take a lot of time to make the the most skilled blade smith. The design is ahead of it's time.

It's no wonder that is was 45RM. A lot of money that's for sure. But IMO worth every phenning.

Thanks for showing this beauty.

Regards,
-serge-

Gary,

Methinks your Lippert example has given all of us a "quantum of solace," on this otherwise rainy, dreary fall weekend...

Paul - thank you, I give it my best shot.

What I really enjoy is seeing you guys appreciating some of the wonderful items that we all get to look at and judge here on the various forums. It seems at times we become jaded and callous to the many fine things that our friends post, to include the uniforms, medals and all the other interesting fields of study. To all those who continually persevere and take the time and effort to post their treasures to a sometimes "underwhelming" response, I salute you - never lose heart!

There are still many of us who enjoy looking at great things like this, even if we don't always have the time to add a small remark of congratulations or to add a small fact or tidbit of information...

For those of you who are enjoying this post I'd like to add these photos of another one of Gary's pieces that I'll be casing over the next few days. This one is a real colossus, by far the largest, heaviest, of all the original DJ-related edged weapons that I've ever seen or handled. At first glance you might think, "is that DJ emblem a trick or a joke of some kind?" but I can assure you it isn't. Once you turn the blade over and see that lovely, early Eickhorn logo, things seem to clear up immediately. At first, Tom Wittmann thought it was trick of some kind, too. After considerable study, he smiled his biggest grin and said something like, "this is quite unbelieveable, but beyond a doubt authentic and of the period, beautiful!"

So without further blabberations, I present to you another of G's monsters ...

Best regards to all!

Bill

2/3

3/3

Holy Moly!
This has to be the rumoured "Fat Man" of the Hirschfangers!?

What a rare beast this is.
What really is it and what was it's purpose?
I don't know what to say except it's fantastic.
Bill, do you have a scabbbard to show?

What a mysterious and rare item. I just love it! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Regards,
-serge-

One of the things I enjoy most about this hobby is the "hunt." A successful hunt is when you can put the right unit in the right collection. Bill, Gary & Myself had a great time putting the Lippert in Gary's collection. I have known Bill and Gary for a long time during that time we have helped each other put the proper unit in the collection where it belongs. We are lucky men. Even luckier when the hunt ends with such a beautiful find. Great display guys, and cheers and beers until the next hunt.

With the scabbard

Matt,

I couldn't have said it any better myself, and thanks for all your help over the years!

Kind regards,

Bill

Hi Guys,
It is realy hard to find a Lippeert hunting knife.
I beleive only about a dozen were made in the period by the Hannover firm Scherping.
A german knife maker, Willi Ulrich, in Solingen has made a limited serie of them today of 200 pieces.
Price is around 500 euro.
www.blankwaffen-ulrich.de
I compared them with my original one and the difference is big, as you always will see it is newly made.

Phil.

Hello Philippe
First let me welcome you to the forum, it is indeed very dificult to find one of these, I know of only this piece and one other in a collection, have you more information on these as it was from Ulrich's site that I gleaned what little I know,I'd like to ask you about the figure you place on production, is this figure accurate or somebody's best guess, it's just as difficult to find definitive information on these than to find an example. Do you have any other information on these knives, do you know of any other specimens out there apart from yours?.Perhaps you could post some pictures of your example??
I agree with you that it is not very difficult to tell the difference betwen an original and a modern piece, I personally think that Ulrich made them not to fool anybody, each knife I believe is numbered, the originals are not. There are a number of other big differences that are also easy to spot hence my feeling that these were not made to fool anybody with at least a basic knowledge of an original Lippert Waidblatt.

thanks

Gary

Hi Gary,
Yes , these are my first posts, and thanks for wellcomming me on the forum.
I try to send you pictures.
I visited Ulrich in Solingen on My way to the Kassel show, as I needed the two tools - small skinning knife and the small steel bar- as they were missing in my knife.
Ulrich was prepared to sell me them on the condition that I showed him my knife.
He had one by himself, and he told me that he did knew about another one, but that he research it and came to the conclusion or guess from about 12 pieces.
Are you collecting especialy hunting knifes and daggers ?
Cheers
Phil

Hi Philippe
Thank you for that information, it seems then with your piece, Ulrich's piece and the one he knows about, my piece and the other I know about, then five known at this point, 12 then as an original production run is as good a guess as anything else I've heard especially considering the price at manufacture, mind you the F.Dula was I believe 38RM so even they were expensive hence there relative scarcity in the market today.
My primary sphere of collecting is hirschfänger,saufänger and Waidblatts. If you care to look through this forum you'll find many beautiful examples posted by any number of collectors.
What do you primarily collect.??
I hope you can stay on the forum and add to it when you can.

Many thanks

Gary

Bill's absolutely correct...I know by personal inaction, it's often too easy to enjoy the various wonderful items posted and, then, overlook the importance of acknowledging the achievement of the acquisition and the subsequent effort to "showcase" it on the forum.

Gary, thanks for sharing these pieces. I think these extraordinary, heavy-duty pieces represent the best of true hunting paraphernalia.

Gary,
I can't state this enough, it's always a great pleasure to view your posts! Thank you for always taking time to share with us items that most collectors will never see or hear about. Your collection and dedication to our hobby is extraordinary. Jim Bowie would've been proud to have owned and worn any one of them and I am one hundred percent sure which one would've been his favorite!

Hi Gary,
I would really like to see some pictures of this knife as I am interested in its maker. I am the point of contact for the German Guns Collectors Assn. on Heinrich Scherping of Hannover and currently own about 12 of the fine guns to come from his shop and have been studying history surround his company. This would only be the second blade I have seen with his name on it. Please contact me & pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
vaughans_hart@yahoo.com

The Wolfsangel is not just a rune... it was a device used to trap wolves. The upper part was anchored in a tree and the lower part was baited with meat. When the wolf jumped and bit at the meat it would impale itself on the trap. The original traps were not symmetrical like the rune appears in that the middle part did not bisect the hooked ends. Instead, the middle fulcrum part of the trap was closer to one end. As the rune was evolved, the fulcrum was depicted in the middle like this.

The original traps looked more like this.

Nonetheless, it is fascinating to me to see a Waidblatt utilize a rune that had its ancestry in hunting. Beautiful piece! Here is another depiction of a variation.

SD,

A very interesting addition to the thread, nice!



Bill

WOW super examples of a truly rare blade! Thanks for posting them.

Hi all,
there is no much room for any mystical interpretation of that symbol on a German Waidblatt. The symbol is in use here in German woods until our days on border stones and to mark the ownership of trees or cutted wood. I see them always when I'm out there for hunting.

Nice and impressive piece though, thanks for showing.
Waidmannsheil !
Flyingdutchman

Gentlemen,
here are a few additional infos.
Please notice that the seller of this Waidblatt was the former royal Gunsmith Scherping of Hannover. Hannover lies near Springe where the former Hannoveranian King had his hunting area.
http://www.landesforsten.de/The-history-of-Saupark.1032.0.html
All forest border stones in that area are marked with the Wolfsangel symbol until our days. I know this because I have hunted a male wild bore Keiler near this place with more than 440 pound and 125 CIC points.
Please keep in mind. To carry a Waidblatt in Germany is traditionally only allowed while hunting red deers.
Waidmannsheil
Flyingdutchman

Gentelmen,
I am fasinated by this blade by Heinrich Scherping as it was the first I have seen. As stated before I am the point of contact for the German Gun Collectors Assn. on Heinrich Scherping as I collect firearms made by him. I thought I would share what little information that I have on him and his business so far.

Heinrich Scherping
Hannover, 1831-1913
Hofbuchsenmacher und Gewehrfabrik,
Grosse Wallstr. 8 in Hannover

We find the following listing in “Der Neue Stoeckel” by Herr, a directory of gunmakers up to 1900

“Heinrich Scherping, located in Gustrow in Mecklenburg Province and in Hannover, Germany. He is mentioned between 1831 and 1913 and listed as a
“Gunmaker to the Court” (Hofbuchsenmacher) in Gustrow and in 1913 in Hannover. He became a member of the Blacksmith Guild in 1862 and two
earlier addresses are given” He became a Master Gunmaker in 1862 and Hofbuchsenmacher to the Royal Hanovarian Court that ended with the Needle fire war in 1866, but continued in exile in Gmunden, Austria.

In 1897 the business was owned by the brothers Heinrich and Johann Eckebrecht
and advertised in the hunting magazine
“Wild und Hund” under the name
H. Scherping, Hofbuchsenmacher, Hannover, Inhaber (owner) Eckebrecht as late as 1937.

Since the company existed from 1862 through 1937 many of the later guns with
the Scherping name were likely ordered from gunmakers in gunmaking centers like Suhl and Zella-Mehlis. All guns seen to date were of very good quality.
If you have any information on H Scherping or the history of his company please contact vaughans_hart@yahoo.com

If anyone has more information please share as we bring to light the work of this superb craftman.

Mike

I thought I would add this piece to this thread for obvious reasons.
This one was produced in Austria, the blade marked J Kulhanek Wien.

Gary

Maker mark

Clamshell with gilt background.

Gary,
Another fine addition to your wonderful collection. I love it -- killer unit

Glad you got it Gary-great piece
Paul