The best known maker of 3R daggers and swords also produced lots of HJ knifes in many variations.

If you own one, let us know and describe or even better show it!

To start with here is a 1940 double marked example.

Best greetings,

Herman

2

With better light

This is an early one, but not the earliest!

John

rev

mm

Wow John, pristine HJ!!!!!!

The scabbard hanger is marked LFS on the obverse too instead of the usual reverse - great piece!!

Regards
Russell

OH MY GOD JOHN... I think I pee-d a little just looking at that JEM!!!
WOW!!!
Congrats!
Johnny

Another 1940 transitional.

This one has one of the whacky "Lilesia" buttons on the scabbard.

I have one with squirrel over the shoulder mark on blade and RZM 7/66 1942 on the ricasso one of the last made?

quote:

Originally posted by vintagetimenow:
This is an early one, but not the earliest!

John

WOW!!!!!

Hello John,

You have som wonderful HJ-knifes! Just another rare mint piece you show us here!

Hi Swordfish,

You have a twin of my double marked 1940! Very nice piece it is!

Best greetings,

Herman

Hi Hermann,
It's the knifes long lost brother .

I picked this particular knife sometime back for about $145. They certainly have seen an increase in value over the last couple years. I'd like to play with the numbers and see what kind of contrast HJs proportionately are at. It's the last HJ I have and will probably just hold onto this example till I decide to move the whole collection out and start collecting spoons and salt shakers.

Some really nice examples guys. Just and FYI, over at WA in the edged weapons section, a few of the guys did quite a good job putting together a photographic HJ reference. I think it's pinned to the top if anyones interested.

I just picked this one up at an auction for 200.00,I hope it is good, the scabbard leather has large rivits, blade dated 39,hj diamond wiggles a little,is it an original?

pic2

pic 3

pic4

date

Nice original Eric, with a zinc hilt, and a good buy at $200!

Regards
Russell

Thanks for the compliments on the Eickhorn Oval HJ. It's hard to show it, but it has all the crossgraining. Here's another attempt, plus I took some pics of my other Eickhorn HJ's.

mm

Here's my 1940

1940 front

Thanks Rusky!Wow those last knives look almost new!Really nice hjs you guys have.

Here's my 1942, very difficult to find. I'd like to upgrade this one if anyone has one available in better condition.

1942 front

1942 button. I guess they had to use whatever was available at this point.

mm 1942

1942 Squirrel logo close up

Here's my 1938

1938 front

Here's a file pic of what I think is the earliest Eickhorn HJ Maker mark. The rat squirrel looks like he's shooting craps or something!

Swordfish,

Keep that one, it might be your best investment ever!


Hello Eric,

Looks like a nice 1939 Eickhorn you got there and at 200 US $ it is an excellent deal! The scabbard is original but could be switched because it does not have the typical round tip of later Eickhorn's.


John,

That is a great Eickhorn HJ collection you showed us, thanks!
Is that by circumstances (I know that you are collecting mint HJ's) that you got the Eickhorn's or do you focus on that maker in particular?

Best greetings,

Herman

Thanks Herman,
I have a couple dozen nice HJ's, no particular focus, though I like the transitionals with Mottos the best.

On the Eickhorn scabbard rounded tip, I believe all the rounded tip ones were made by Eickhorn, but not all Eickhorns came with them. There are many vet pickups with other scabbards, and I know the kids /vets mixed them up, but I think Eickhorn would occasionally get their scabbards elsewhere, especially the very early ones(like my example has a non rounded scabbard tip) and the ones made during the war years.


Thanks! John

John,

I agree with you about the fact that the typical rounded tip scabbard is only an Eickhorn caracteristic on later knifes, as a matter of fact I have never seen a rounded tip on any early (ricassoless) knife's scabbard.

I also agree that the kids and the vets mixed up some scabbards, but dealers and collectors are even better in doing this in my opinion.

On double marked Eickhorn I personaly prefer to see a rounded tip though... Does not mean I would not buy a knife at a good price if it comes with an other original scabbard.

Best greetings,

Herman

Very nice one Paul, which year is it? If you have some more pictures, please show them.

Who has another Eickhorn variant?

Best greetings,

Herman

Thank you Herman,its ricasso less with motto so pre 38
for further pics please see my website,display case,page 6

Do other makers use the round tip scabbard?Here is one I saw thats Anton Wingen rzm m7/51 that looks like a round type scabbard,vet bringback.Is there any documentation that Eickhorns came with this type scabbard only?

Hello Eric,

I have never seen any other HJ with rounded tip scabbard, but the later Eickhorns.

The period documentation that illustrates this are the original catalogs.

Best greetings,

Herman

Here is an Eickhorn pure RZM piece, 1942 dated, the only Eickhorn variation I know of that bears no squirrel... Most of the 1942 knifes bear the "over the shoulder" squirrel.

Best greetings,

Herman

2

3

Another 1942 with the squirrel.

2

I have a 1940 transitional, no motto and a 1942 with the over the shoulder trademark.

I am also waiting on an early one oval Eickhorn with the craps shooting squirrel.

Neither of mine compare in condition to the ones displayed here.

But, I like them just fine.

John

Ah, Herman was holding out on us! What a nice 42! I'm looking to upgrade mine, hint, hint. John

Here is an Eickhorn variation that you do not see very often:

2

The motto is very deeply etched!

The earliest.

2

Nice collection of Eickhorns shown here! Herman, is that maker mark etched - the one with Original on the blade?

Regards
Russell

Hello Russell,

Yes, I believe that is an etched MM, need to check the knife.

This one is an early Eickhorn variety:

Best greetings,

Herman

2

3

Herman,
is the double oval you are showing etched as well? I have only seen that maker mark stamped on HJs, and I have never seen the etched original 35-41 mark. Since the later 1942s are stamped, why would some early versions be etched? Makes me worry about a post war embellishment, especially since the 35-41 etched with motto you are showing appears to have been buffed quite a bit.

Just thinking out loud, John

Hi John,

Like to see that some people are paying attention here

The double oval is of course stamped.

As you noticed very well, the 35-41 marked knife has a cleaned blade, actually the mark has been cleaned off partly (see additional picture)and is only completely visible under the correct angle. I believe that Eickhorn used this etched mark on its last motto-ed knifes, because they had to etch the blade anyway with the motto. This also could explain why the knife has such a deeply etched motto, unlike most Eickhorns in my experience. After 1938, the motto disapeared and the marks were stamped again. This is just a theory, but I have no reasons to think that this knife is not period made.

Best greetings,

Herman

I agree Herman, the knife itself looks period, but there have been examples of re-etches, like SA mottos ground off and replaced with SS mottos. Most HJ's with mottos have stamped maker marks. Why? I surmise the motto was too big to stamp. So why not just etch the Makers Marks at the same time as the Blut und Ehre etch? I would guess because a stamped makers mark is more durable, and more precise than an etched one? On the other hand, the etched Rohm inscriptions on SA/SS blades were hard to remove based on some of the grinding I've seen!

Thoughts?

John

You are right, John, that most HJ's have stamped marks, but there are also several etched ones and even some that are marked with some kind of "gummy" stamp...

Returning to the topic, here is an other Eickhorn variation: double oval, but no "Ges. Geschutzt" mark.

Best greetings,

Herman

2

Well, we usually don't get to see the inside of our HJ's, but there is a grip on eban which shows the inside of an HJ grip...very interesting! Why would the mark the inside of their grip plates?

outer

Interesting, John!

What appears strange to me: the makers marck is the early one, but the checkering of the grip plate is not...

Best greetings,

Herman

Yes Herman, and it's reversed as well. Anyone have any Eickhorn HJ parts? Maybe we can start a new thread with HJ inside marking info. I have a Klaas with broken grips and there is a maker mark inside on the metal, but not a cranes logo...

I bet Russ has plenty of parts to show us markings...


John

That is an excellent idea, John!

Start the thread, who knows what will show up...

Best greetings,

Herman

Wow Herman, I thought one of your double oval Eickhorns had an etched trademark, and I have just received an HJ to buy on approval with an etched double oval trademark. Tell me what you think of it. The grips, blade thickness and shape, weight all seem to be correct, as is the scabbard with single runner. What is weird to me, it the depth and quality of the etching does not seem to match the early quality we have come to expect.

rev

Comparison of maker marks, stamped on the left, etched on the right

pair front

rev pair

motto of the etched maker mark example

motto of stamped maker mark example

Why would they etch one maker mark, and stamp others of the same era? Massive production order, so the made some etched? any specualtion. I think the HJ is real, it came from a trusted dealer who got it in a vet family buy.

Some beauties guys here is some old pics of mine 1942.Has the same snap as Johns

Hello John,

That looks like a very fine conditioned early Eickhorn HJ... and as you stated: an interesting variation!

I experienced that several early no-ricasso knifes (including Eickhorns) had very undeep etchings, so that is nothing to worry about.

I would not hesistate to buy this knife if the price is ok.

Nice 1942 knife, ww2-collector!

Best greetings,

Herman

Thanks Herman! Both these have all the crossgraining, which I can't seem to get to show in photos. Time for a new camera, hehehe

WW2-collector, wow, nice 1942 version....I'm still looking for one with a near mint blade.

My Best to Everyone, John

John
Thanks mine is near mint I would gladly trade for a Pack HJ.

Hello John,

I just checked my early Eickhorn HJ's and found out that one has the etched double oval makersmark, just like your example.

Best greetings,

Herman

Really interesting thread with great info, thanks guys for sharing.

Here is the 1941 Eickhorn transitional.

Best greetings,

Herman

2

Some really Great knives here gent`s.
I really like them & can see the attraction but my focus is elsewhere; not least because of financial considerations. I did but just one though, I came across by chance in pursuit of something else. At the time a tad more than I thought it was worth.

The only thing that really holds this one back is the light corrosion showing through under the front of the scabbard paint.

motto is very deep & crisp

MM

That is a real beautiful Eickhorn 37 HJ, that you have there, Landser!
Congratulations with this find and thanks for adding it to this topic.

Best greetings,

Herman

Here is another variety by the maker of makers:

Double marked, motto, but no date.
Must be a 1936 knife considering the characteristics.

Best greetings,

Herman

2

3

my

Nice HJ, Thor.

I guess it is dated '1942' and also has the RZM mark on the ricasso, right?

Best greetings,

Herman

This is mine marked 39 with transitional marks, no motto, the only concern is about the insignia, maybe a repro? Regards

2

How about this variation?
I personally did not see this mark on early one.

Stingray

Stingray, nice early Eickhorn hj knife , never seen this later squirrel logo on an early hj before so might be quite rare to see & find, maybe herman will chime in sometime.

Herman,where are you?

Hello Stingray,

I am back from Germany now, also had some problems loging onto the GDC forum during the past days.

You just posted a very interesting Eickhorn version, this must have been the final version of their HJ without ricasso. I have encountered only one like these before, but it had half of its blade sharpened away, so I did not buy it. Yours is in great shape, so you made a super score, congratulations!

And thank you for posting it!

Best greetings,

Herman

gentalmen; most likely the internal marked grips were done , as they sold these to other makers who also made h.j. knives. remember , Solingen for the most part was a large co-op. many of the companies were Not capable of making all the items / all the pieces for an item. who knows, maybe they traded grips to another company for some thing they needed / did not make.
case in point; the wooden handels for sa/ss daggers, there was only 3 known machines that made them (No idea who owned them) but, tons of sa /ss makers. jeff h. (kool thread)

Thought it was a good day to let the squirrels out...

Eickhorn HJ knifes are ranked from early to wartime-> from the right to the left.

Best regards,

Herman

Most Eickhorn HJ knifes have rounded tip scabbards, earliers ones with annodised shells. But the earliers knifes (on the right) don't have the round tip!

Motto's until 1938, but that was no special Eickhorn feature...

Ricasso on the blade appears around 1936.

Earliest knifes had shallow motto's, which easely lost their blackening.

But the latest motted knifes (1936-1938) had deep and dark motto's.

Eickhorn was famous for its blades, but hilts of this maker easily lost their plating and/or corroded... compared to some other makers, thin plating was applied on HJ's.

The squirrel makermark often changed and that makes the Eickhorn HJ's so interesting to collect!

One single and many double ovals marks on the early knifes

And double makersmarks + production year were applied until 1942!

Only the latest 1942 knifes were only marked RZM.

Best regards,

Herman

Herman:

I just love those Eicks!

Beautiful specimens, all of them.

John

Herman,

That's a 'knockout' collection!

Best!

Bill

Wow! I second that statement.

Thank you guys, for your kind words.

The variations that this maker provides to the collector world are really amazing.

Have a look at these 2, both 1940 made HJ blades, just compare the "E" of Eickhorn.

Best regards,

Herman

Amazing collection Herman.
Are you missing any variation?

Regards
Stingray

I have two 39 dated TMs, the top one is stamped, teh bottom is etched.

There aare small differences in the lettering and in the squirrel.

John

Herman, Very Impressive Eickhorn hj knife Variations From Over The Years Of Manufacter You Have In Your Collection


Thanks For Showing Them All,

Cheers Scott.

Scott, Stingray,

Thanks for the compliments!

Yes, I am still missing 4 to 5 variations: that I know of! There might be more out there...


John,

Very interesting that double marked etched variation, does it has a year of production stamped into the ricasso?

Best regards,

Herman

So far, I only have found 2 etched mark versions, see pictures in attachement: twice it is the knife right on the picture that has the etched mark.

Both are mottoed knifes.

Best regards,

Herman

Herman:

My etched version is 39 dated and has no motto.

John

Johgn how many squirrels are living there!!!
Everytime I look I see more!

wow what a collection watch out for your nuts.
dippy

I have 16 HJ knives.

Herman,
The HJ on the far right of this picture is amazing, especially for such an early piece. Would I be right in thinking that this was the first Eick trademark found on HJ's?.

Dipo!!

Like this?

John

Hello Degens,

You certainly have a eye for quality... I was indeed very happy when I found that specific HJ knife.

Yes, I believe the "single oval" was the first Eickhorn mark used on HJ knifes.

But what I find interesting though, is that the "Ges Gesch" mark would have disappeared afterwards... The next early HJ with the double oval -on the left of the single- does not has it anymore...

Best regards,

Herman

Extra shot for Degens:

Here is mine. The strap is missing half, the diamond is fractured, the leather washer is split at the bottom. The scabbard is anodized.

Dave

Wow,
Not one but three, I have owned a few of the double oval Eicks but never one with this earliest TM which I always thought dated to around 1931/2.
Herman, that HJ you show is truly stunning, when you consider who these where carried by and the timeframe that it was produced, it does not look like it was ever worn. Amazing condition. In fact one with this TM in any condition is a rarity.
Thank you for sharing.