I have just acquired this Holler Army dagger, complete with knot and hangers.
It has the Holler 2nd type crossguard (EPack-like) which is not seen that often.
The details (acorns etc.) on the scabbard bands and pommel are wonderful.

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Rhys,
Thats a nice one, is it a plaster filled grip? and what type is the blade tang?.
It is thought Holler used this crossguard twice during the period, the hand enhanced ones appearing prior to the standard Holler 3rd crossguard and then again later in the war, normally found with no enhancing and a standard round punched eye.
It is the first time I have seen what appears to be a later war construction ( base metal & grip ) with this level of enhancing.
Its a lovely looking dagger with outstanding Holler characteristics.

Degens,

Your kind remarks are much appreciated.

Thank you for the extra information - it's always nice to put the dagger into it's historical context.

The grip is plaster filled and the tang is tapered - please see the attached.

It does have some very nice enhancing on the crossguard eagle.

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Great crossguard with the crescent mark to the head that Ford told us all about years ago. Looks to be a nice dagger although I always thought the plaster filled grips were very late in the period.

I thought the plaster filled grips were also a lateer feature. Looks like the craftsman who finised the crossguard really enjoyed his work.

Great looking piece which is text book for this type of holler fitting. IMO, although the grip is genuine, like Rhys and WW2, I believe it may be a later replacement

Interesting and very good conditioned dagger. H�LLER widely did use these plaster filled white grips. With this certain crossguard I was aware of yellow grips. It is interesting to see this (for me doubtless original fitted) white grip with thius certain configuration.
Nice!
Thank you for showing, regards,

Thank you very much wotan.

This grip does look and feel right on this dagger.

Does anyone know when the plaster filled grips were introduced relative to the H�LLER crossguards used across the period?

quote:

Originally posted by wotan:
Interesting and very good conditioned dagger. H�LLER widely did use these plaster filled white grips. With this certain crossguard I was aware of yellow grips. It is interesting to see this (for me doubtless original fitted) white grip with thius certain configuration.
Nice!
Thank you for showing, regards,

Wotan, for me it is the tapered tang not use of that x guard that pre dates the grip.

Rhys. I do not recall seeing any information regarding dates when certain grip types were introduced. Material other than trolon was certainly being experimented with. Galalith is one example that is not very common but was being used until early 1939 when it`s production was stopped because the milk used to make it was deemed essential for germany`s nutritional requirements. Plaster filled grips may have in my opinion been used (although not commonly) pre war. Rapid expansion of the Army dictated that production became both more efficient & cost effective. The plaster grip was surely a quick fix that required absolutely no `fitting`.

Landser, I do own (and have shown here several times) a H�LLER with yellow (NOT slant!)grip, this certain crossguard, TAPERED TANG and distributor marked by an Austrian distributor (therefore delivered for sure post march 38)...
A twin of this dagger here but with yellow grip.
Doubtless original and unmessed with as it did come directly from the former wearer�s family immediately after his death.
Perhaps you do a search, there are (were???) several good threads about this certain field of daggers. The theory is, that some of these early daggers were stored and delivered at a relatively late point of time.
Regards,

Landser, thank you for your input on the grip and the valid point regarding the tang

Wotan, I found the twin with the earlier yellow grip and it too, looks very impressive.

It is hard to place this dagger in time with the plaster filled grip. Maybe it was one of the early plaster filled grips or as wotan states - it was a later delivery piece.