UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe Forum Orange Balloon anyone???

Sounds good. I'll get it apart and get some good (hopefully...) photos as soon as I can.

Best,
Tyrel

By the way, is the one with the personalized pommel the same one Johnson had at the 2004(?) MAX?

Tyrel: Sound good on the Photos - they will be nice to see.

Regarding the Balloonman with the personalized pommel, all that I know is that I have had it for about a year. I did not get it from Tom Johnson, but the seller could have, as he was another collector and not a vet. I would rate the blade as a strong near mint - if that helps.

It would be great to hear from all the Balloonman and Heller folks regarding the "E" on the tang?

Kevin

Sorry, I did not acknowledge your post. It would be cool to see the tang with the E. Then maybe everyone will get into it.

I thought I would share a closeup view of the Balloonman crossguard eagle head. I have never seen a Pack eagle enhanced in quite this way. The eye is sharp and a channel has been cut down the beak so that the raptor can see straight ahead. I just love the detail of some of these guards.

Thats an impressive bird Ford! I cant say that I have seen that variation before!Nice catch! Kevin.

Thanks Kevin: The guard is why I wanted the dagger. Under most conditions it looks ordinary, but under close scrutiny and in the correct lighting, it simply comes to life. Unless another like it turns up on another maker, I am going to assume that is a modification unique to Heller.....

Mikee: Regarding the E on the tang, I went back and looked at the old string and saw that you had suggested that the E might be a unique feature to Heller. I want to recognize you for that. No one else picked up on it, including me.

Well it looks like the timing was not right for another Balloon party. Glad we didn't spend a lot on invitations......

Ford

Hello,

Sorry for my delay in jumping in the conversation here but I was finally able to upgrade to a new digital camera a couple of days ago. I wanted to wait until I could get some decent photos of my Hellers before making a post. My old camera just wasn't able to get decent closeups.

I was the previous owner of Ford's "Balloonman" with the crown and shield on the pommel. I had purchased it a couple of years ago from Tom Johnson.

I still have a couple of Hellers in my collection. One has the "Balloonman" logo while the other is the stamped version. Both of my examples have the "E" stamped on the tang as well. As observed by both Kevin and Ford I also believe this to be a unique feature on Heller blades.

Also note that the pebbling on the scabbard of my "Balloonman" example is much larger than normally seen especially when compared to the pebbling on the stamped Heller.

Doug

Here's the "E" on the tang of my "Balloonman" Heller. It has been ground down some but it is definitely an "E".

Here's the "E" on my stamped Heller.

Scabbard pebbling of the "Balloonman" Heller.

Scabbard pebbling of the stamped Heller.

"Balloonman" logo.

Stamped logo.

"Balloonman" crossguard.

Stamped crossguard.

Heers and Ford ,
that a wonderfull daggers .I speciality like the nice tonic on the grip from the last dagger .Thanks for showing .

Doug, Thanks for posting!! GREAT pics! What camera did you buy? Obviously I need a better one like you have! Kevin.

Hello Kevin,

I bought an Olympus SP-320. It is a 7.1 megapixel camera with a super-macro mode. It allows you to focus within 2cm (0.8 inches) of the object. A camera with this type of super-macro mode is what we need for the types of things we photograph. You can also record short clips of video with this camera as well. I'm still figuring out how to use all of the features but so far I'm very happy with it.

My very first camera was an Olympus OM-1 that my parents bought for me when I was in high school back in 1980. Since then I've always been partial to Olympus cameras.

Circuit City is having a tremendous sale on them right now. You can get the camera with a free 256MB memory card for $219.99 (after a $30 mail in rebate). I ordered mine online (www.circuitcity.com) and received it within about 4 days of placing the order.

Take care, Doug

THANKS for reply and info on camera Doug. I will look into that! If you dont mind me asking,what is the maker of the slant grip heer on your avatar?? Very nice! Kevin.

You are welcome. Both the Army and the 2nd Luft featured in my avatar are by Max Weyersberg. Here's a larger version of the avatar.

Doug

Here's the other side.

Hi Doug;

Nice to see you online. Now that you are posting, I am sure it is ok to mention that you are the person who pointed out to me that both the stamped Heller and the Balloonman share the E on the tang. Also, If no one else has yet welcomed you to the Forum, I want to be the first. Your knowledge regarding army daggers is tremendous and it will be nice to hear your opinion on the some of the uncommon variations presented here from time to time.

For those of you who do not know Doug, he has two things going for him that should make everyone on forum very, very happy. The first thing is a modern, high quality digital camera. The second thing is a little harder to come by, and that is a truly "World Class" army collection, and the term "world class" might even be an understatement in this case. I am just hoping you can find a moment from time to time to reach into that safe share some of those gems.

Those are beautiful Hellers you posted, and it is not surprising to see you still had 2 left. Also that is a nice pair of Max Weyersbergs you have there.

I don't want to side-track Kevin's Balloonman string to ask questions about other daggers, but I would love to see more photos of your Weyersbergs (perhaps a new string?). I am particularly curious about the army. The crossguard looks like a Pack second type, but it has features of the first type also? What type do you think it is? I would also like to see the rest of both daggers. Whattyouthink?

Again Welcome
Ford

Hello Ford,

I really appreciate the kind words and the welcome. Hopefully, I will be able to contribute more often now that I have a nice camera that makes the process of taking decent photos a lot quicker. With my work schedule and other time constraints it just hasn't been easy in the past to contribute quickly.

I've been working hard on my Army collection and appreciate your praises about it. You have a very fine collection yourself and look forward to seeing more of your collection as well. I'm still working on some of the harder to find makers but the search is one of the things that makes this hobby enjoyable. If everything was easy to find then it wouldn't be as much fun.

When I get a chance, I'll start another string about the Max Weyersberg daggers.

Take care, Doug

A superb show of beauty!

Ford is just outstanding in his taste and knowledge of these shiny objects!

Doug is coming on in some great pics!

With Denny and others wares this forum could
provide a real show!

I think Bob Rodgers has a few also!

Better than a book!

PVON

I forgot all about this topic. I have access to my Heller now, unfortunately, my digital camera has been rather moody lately, so I dont know if pictures are possible. I will try.

And those are some fantastic daggers. Glad to see someone else with a such a great collection and knowledge posting. We all have much to learn. Glad to see another Ohioan too!

Hello Tyrel,

Sounds good, would love to see some photos of your Heller if you are able. Also, would like to know if your tang has the raised "E" on it like the others that have been posted.

By the way, my brother lives in Cambridge. Go Bucks!!!

Doug

Doug, Thanks for reply and great pics! I have never seem a WMW that early and with that mark! Just great! I know have another one to look for! Kevin.

To keep this from disappearing

Hey Guys,

Sorry I have`nt chimed in earlier, but have been pre-occupied with chasing a NSKK chained dagger and Knightscross, to the same person!!
In a previous thread regarding the balloon man, I posted one or two pics of my SLANT grip balloon man, but unfortunately my hard drive crashed and I lost 5 years of pics
Anyway, I`ve made a few more, albeit poor quality, of mine and I hope this contributes to this thread. Below are the pics

The first is of the slant grip which Tyrel has also got.

The crossguard of brass based metal

The pebble finish on my scabbard

Last, but not least, the E stamp on the early tapered tang