............ I am definitely on the side who errs with caution................
Johnny
I started this thread in order to gain opinions and information that might support a dispute. I obtained one of these "Henckels 55cm dlv's" from a UK dealer who has refunded to me the "cost/price" to him of the dagger. He has stated to me that the piece came from a "reliable source" - (not disclosed to me). As I have no verifiable proof I have given the dealer the benefit of the doubt as to his non complicity in a fraud and written off the balance of the retail price as a financial loss. Since starting the thread I have had several PMs' (including a PM from a major UK dealer, but who has asked not to be identified) confirming that the dagger I illustrated at the start of this thread is post war and has certainly been available in Europe in recent times. I noted earlier in the thread that Tom Johnson is reported as declaring these daggers a fake. However, there is no doubt that vested interests of collectors and dealers might lead to instances of denial, e.g., I have been advised that a UK collector who has been hit with one of these daggers should not be told "because it would hurt his pride". I have been round the block many times with TR edged weapons since getting my first as a kid in 1945. I have also been caught before over the long years of collecting. Denial can be the enemy of honest collectors and the friend of the scammer.
