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Well, it sort of looks like a Fire Official's dagger in some respects. And in some respects, it resembles a Naval dagger. So is it a Naval Fireman's dagger? Could be, the truth is we just don't know. Whatever it is, the dagger remains in near mint condition. Although I know a few people with this model dagger out there & this is the best of the lot IMHO. It came to me from the far off shores of New Zealand about 8 years ago & I'll admit I overpaid for it but I didn't care. This was one of those "had to have" situations. In hindsight, I'm still happy so why complain?

This dagger type is pictured on Tom Wittmann & Tom Johnson's book "Collecting the Edged Weapons of Imperial Germany, Volume 1" on page 239. There it's described as a dagger having a "Naval/ Fire" motif probably produced by WK&C, speculation suggesting a harbor or marine fire detachment.

One can see with it's flaming pommel & spear point quillion arms, WK&C was the likely manufacturer. But why a naval/fire connection? The combination of an ivory grip with brass fittings certainly makes me think Naval but if so, why a steel scabbard & not brass? Seems foolish to protect a beloved dagger from the elements & sea salt with a rust prone steel scabbard. But the form does look to be quite similar to Imperial & Weimar era Fire Official's daggers so without a catalogue reference, we still seek a definitive answer.

If anyone else has one of these, I'd love to see it or hear your thoughts on the dagger's intended purpose.

2.JPG (105.4 KB, 193 downloads)

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A shot of the obverse crossguard. The grip, as you can see, is a beauiful piece of turned ivory. The quillion arms are quite detailed on their extremities & the fittings are clearly brass. This picture also gives a good view of the scabbard throat retaining screws which are at either flank of the scabbard throat, have flat heads & jut out significantly.

One horrible moment happened shortly after I unpacked this dagger from it's journey. I nearly threw out the brass ferrule with the box. Gladly a buddy noticed my mistake fast & alerted me before I did a bad thing. How hard would it have been to find one of those parts?

3.JPG (91.86 KB, 188 downloads)

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A slightly blurry shot of the reverse crossguard, note the brass release button similar to a Naval dagger. You can also see the lone hanging loop on the scabbard.

4.JPG (85.19 KB, 188 downloads)

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Here is a shot of the scabbard body which retains nearly all of it's original black lacquered paint. Just some carrying scars consistent with modest wear is all I can see on it. The lone hanging loop is attached to a most plain band & the scabbard drag has a slight lip, that's it. One of the plainest scabbards you'll see on a dress dagger IMHO.

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A view of the obverse blade etch. As you can see, it's not filled with Feuerwehr ephemera but rather a more generic military motif. Not unheard of as has been previously seen in some of my earlier pieces but still curious. A shame there's no maker mark although I don't think there's any great question who made this dagger. Whoever made it, the blade on this baby is really a thing of beauty.

6.JPG (97.05 KB, 186 downloads)

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A shot of the reverse blade etch, a well executed albeit Feuerwehr lacking motif. Is this dagger Feuerwehr related? I just don't know although I hope to someday find it is. Until then we can all speculate as to it's true purpose but it's such small mysteries that continue to make the hobby more interesting for me.

7.JPG (86.43 KB, 182 downloads)

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The pommel on this dagger was not peened over so I was able to break the dagger down & view it's guts. Most pieces are internally stamped "83".

Next time, I'll try for something very special & a little more traditional.

8.jpg (56.98 KB, 179 downloads)
9.jpg (45.4 KB, 178 downloads)

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Billy on Tom Johnsons site under Imperial fire axes and daggers he has one that looks like yours.Its listed as a Rare Imperial Harbor Fire Offical's Dagger hope this helps paul

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Hi Paul,

Yes, that's the same dagger. Tom's example has a blued scabbard which is different than mine, otherwise they are nearly identical. Tom's description of this dagger as an Imperial Harbor Fire Official's dagger is similar to what he & Tom Wittmann wrote in their book Collecting the Edged Weapons of Imperial Germany although at that time the description seemed speculative. It sounds like they're more definite about it now but I don't believe there's any period reference to it. Either way, I love the piece.

Here's Tom Johnson's description & picture:

RARE Imperial Harbor Fire Official's Dagger. No Maker. A photograph of ths actual dagger appears on page 66 of Imperial German Edged Weaponry Volume Three and an example is also pictured on page 239 of Collecting The Edged Weapons Of Imperial Germany Volume I. Although unmarked this dagger was no doubt produced by the W.K.& C. Firm as evidenced by the "flaming ball" pommel and crossguard with "spear head" guillon tips unique to W.K.& C. produced Fire Official's daggers. Brass hilt fittings show only minor wear/age patina to the screw-on type flaming ball/ waves pommel and crossguard with spear head guillon tips. The turned ivory grip with seven swirls is well toned, darker on the obverse, with no cracks or chips, and was never fitted with wire wrap. The polished, double-etched, 13 ¼" inch blade grades EX showing light surface wear/age,gray spotting and evidence of abrasive cleaning, but no nicks to cutting edges. Both obverse and reverse blade feature 9 5/8" long, lightly etched panels featuring a military motif of drums and swords. The blade is complete with a retaining spring/release button and brown leather buffer pad. The dent-free, blued steel scabbard with single suspension band/ring grades EX+ retaining virtually 100% of the bluing with very minor scattered pitting. Rare Imperial example.EX/EX+

25373-obverse.jpg (43.17 KB, 159 downloads)

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Here's a scan of the Eickhorn catalogue showing some nice Feuerwehr daggers. It's interesting to see the disparity in blade lengths from left to right.

scan0001.jpg (79.16 KB, 146 downloads)

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Here is an unusual Fire Official's dagger variation you don't see everyday. Although it doesn't fit the mold of Eickhorn's Fire Official's daggers, that's exactly who made it. According to Eickhorn's catalogue, this dagger was model #527.

From memory, the blade is 17", give or take which probably accounted for it's unpopularity. And it's the period unpopularity that makes it so rare & ironically, more popular today. It's very understandable why these very long, narrow blades could be unwieldy. The narrowness almost makes them look dainty which is the furthest thing from one's mind when contemplating an Imperial/Weimar era German fireman smile

Note the detailed crossguard & unusual pommel which is peened over. The grip is turned black horn. Although this model has much that differs from traditional Fire Official's daggers, the etch is all Eickhorn, showing the same traditional fire motifs. This beauty came all the way from England, courtesy of Eban, many years ago. Since that time, I've seen maybe 2 or 3 on dealers' sites but that's it. All were priced in the clouds too.

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Here's a view of the reverse grip. While the general appearance of the dagger could cause confusion, there's no questioning it's purpose when looking at the reverse crossguard panel showing a ladder & pike.

2.JPG (96.53 KB, 195 downloads)

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Here's a closer shot of the very unusual pommel.

3.JPG (88.42 KB, 195 downloads)

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A shot of the reverse ricasso showing the Eickhorn single oval maker's mark. Although someone may correct me, I'd date this piece as mid to late 1920's which means it might have been carried into the 3R. You can also see the felt buffer pad which is still there & obviously did it's job this many years.

4.JPG (88.55 KB, 195 downloads)

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A view of the scabbard top fitting which is, as usual, quite plain & lacking in detail.

5.JPG (88.16 KB, 194 downloads)

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Ditto the scabbard drag which does show a nice patina.

6.JPG (76.73 KB, 190 downloads)

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A decent shot of the obverse blade etch, typical Eickhorn IMHO.

7.JPG (71.4 KB, 188 downloads)

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In searching, sadly I could not find a fuller view of the reverse blade. All I had was this crummy shot of the center panel of the reverse blade etch, although you get the idea. The etch includes axes, hoses, a pike & something that resembles either a lantern or a fire call box, not sure myself.

8.JPG (73.31 KB, 188 downloads)

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I love them all, keep em coming. I think your right about the Eickhorn mark, I have seen this exact mark on hirschfängers from 1925-1930.

Cheers

Gary

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OK so maybe this isn't one of the more recognizable types smile This is a Fire Official's dagger for the region of Alsace Lorraine. Different, huh? I bought it close to 10 years ago when I didn't even know what it was. Thought it was cool & when I heard there was a Feuerwehr connection, well that was it.

Clearly this model dagger was constructed much differently than the standard German Fire Official's dagger. I mean, everything about it is different. Initially when I looked at it, I was struck by it's Spartan appearance. It does look like a no nonsense weapon actually. The blade is not etched but is thick & one sided, not double edged like the standard dagger. It also has a double fuller, something we'll see on some additional Alsace pieces to be posted in the future. And it's worn from the belt like a bayonet, not suspended on hangers. Interesting to say the least.

The condition is not the best but I can count on one hand how many I've seen in 10 years of looking & still have fingers left. Condition aside, this was one of those occasions where you have to strike while the iron is hot.

1.JPG (98.09 KB, 166 downloads)

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This is a scan from the WKC catalogue showing this model dagger. This dagger wasn't manufactured by WKC but I just show it for reference as a model made by multiple producers.

WKC Catalog Alsace 7.jpg (18.98 KB, 178 downloads)

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Here is a shot of the blade unsheathed, you can see it's features & how different it is from the usually seen Fire Official's dagger. Did you notice that maker mark yet?

2.JPG (114.34 KB, 178 downloads)

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Here's a closeup of the scabbard frog lug & crossguard, they're constructed of brass & quite plain when compared to their standard German counterpart.

3.JPG (91.48 KB, 175 downloads)

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A shot of the unusual pommel which is peened over & not removable. Sad as I would have loved to get inside this one for a look see. The grip is unusual too, seems to be constructed out of a type of black bakelite although I believe this dagger's construction predates the invention of bakelite.

4.JPG (80.23 KB, 174 downloads)

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A shot of the scabbard drag, plain but somewhat similar to the German examples we've seen thus far. That'll change with some of the more ornate Alsace examples on deck. You can also see a poor attempt to repair the scabbard leather which seems to have had some trouble over the years.

5.JPG (88.81 KB, 171 downloads)

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Here is a view, albeit a poor one, of the maker's mark, a "B" with a crown. The mark appears on the obverse & reverse with the obverse being slightly larger in size. I had never seen this mark before acquiring this piece so it was a bit of a puzzle.

You can also make out a brass strike plate that covers the blade as it is in the scabbard. Probably not as effective as the leather buffer pad as this blade shows it's age in some places but is still presentable.

6.JPG (70.46 KB, 172 downloads)

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An overview of the dagger in the scabbard. One thing I've never been able to locate is a picture of what the period frog for this model dagger looks like. Some of you may like this piece, some will probably hate it but all will probably agree it's unusual & something not often found on the market. The blade also strikes me as really wanting to be a bayonet although it's in a dagger's hilt. Thick, almost a slab, single edged & fullered, nothing dainty about it. Next up, I'll try to embellish a little on this Alsace thing.

7.JPG (115.31 KB, 169 downloads)

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Tonight's installment is another Fire Official's dagger hailing from the Alsace region. This one is somewhat more embellished than the one posted last night as you can see. The dagger, as a whole, has a tremendous heft & is more like a short sword than a dagger. The hilt & fittings are brass & the blade is the thick slab type.

The grip is perfect, no chipping or cracks & the grip wire remains nice & tight. The crossguard is a thing of beauty with the curved over appearance similar to the previous example, albet more detailed. Note the lionhead in the center & the dragon heads (?) on the quillion arms, pretty cool IMHO. This dagger was suspended by a frog, notice the frog lug. Very nice detail to it & a beautiful little fire helmet in the center. And what's up with that pommel? Quite unlike I've ever seen.

1.JPG (108.43 KB, 154 downloads)

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Here's a shot of the blade unsheathed. As you can see, it's double fullered which seems to be something specific to Alsace Feuerwehr daggers. Unlike German Fire Official's daggers, most Alsace blades are plain. But not all wink

2.JPG (119.11 KB, 151 downloads)

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Here is a better view of the very unusual pommel. I have no idea what it's supposed to be, looks like there's some leaves & vines in there though. It's peened over & not able to be taken down, sad.

3.JPG (84.03 KB, 149 downloads)

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Here is a better shot of the scabbard frog lug. Even this often overlooked item does not want for detail.

4.JPG (117.2 KB, 159 downloads)

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A better view of the scabbard drag, also well detailed in ever way. This dagger is really a work of art.

5.JPG (116.97 KB, 156 downloads)

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Here's an underneath view of the hilt. As you can see, it's all brass & quite heavy. My only complaint is the mostly missing red felt buffer grin

6.JPG (86.38 KB, 157 downloads)

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And a shot of the blade tip with fullers. I love etched Feuerwehr blades & it's a shame the blade isn't etched on this example. But it almost doesn't need it as there's so much for the eyes to feast on. But how would such a piece look with all this & an etched blade?

7.JPG (90.8 KB, 153 downloads)

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Here is a scan from what I believe to be an Imperial era Eickhorn catalogue. While this model doesn't seem to fit either Alsace example, #1131 or #1132, it looks a little similar to #1132 in general appearance & the scabbard fittings. The pommel on the posted example os clearly unlike either of these though. While any Alsace Feuerwehr piece is scarce, the deluxe models are quite rare IMHO. Sadly the blade on mine is unmarked.

scan0002.jpg (97.93 KB, 157 downloads)

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Here is another unusual Fire Official's dagger, this one a deluxe model also for Alsace. Again we see something that is very different from the Preussen type dagger but also different from the preceeding dagger as well. Similar to all Alsace Fire Official's daggers I've seen, this one has the scabbard frog lug for suspension from a frog instead of hangers. The fittings are all brass which makes for a heavy dagger. The blade is also a "slab-type" which is thicker & generally heavier than the usually seen, thin version.

There's a lot of detail on this dagger. Everywhere you look, something is jumping out at you.

1.JPG (105.07 KB, 192 downloads)

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Here's a view of the obverse grip. You can see the grip is turned black horn wrapped by a single strand of twisted copper wire. The pommel & crossguard are wild, unlike anything else I've ever seen but that said, they're tastefully done. I got this dagger because of it's affiliation to fire service & the oddity factor but it, like the other 2 Alsace pieces I have, really grew on me.

In this shot, you can see that the crossguard has a pleasing central theme of a Feuerwehrhelm with a crossed pair of axes. Beneath the crossguard is a type of cap that covers over the blade when it's sheathed to prevent moisture damage. It did it's job as the double fullered blade is just gorgeous.

The blade is obverse marked WK&C & as you can see it's etched with typical WK&C fire related motifs. I had a lot of trouble capturing the blade without glare but will try to add a shot or two in the future as time allows. Just a keeper all around!

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Here is a shot of the reverse grip which is different than the obverse but no less pleasing.

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A better shot of the crossguard detailing.

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A better shot of the detail on the reverse crossguard.

5.JPG (97.19 KB, 185 downloads)

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