A number of 2nd models were finished with a matt dark gray zinc phosphate finish. Which then had the high points polished, allowing the aluminum base metal to show through, which would then give the metal a two tone appearance. Perfectly acceptable. And if (literally) all of the zinc phosphate is present fairly unusual. Because very often portions of it are worn off on daggers which are otherwise in exceptional condition.

The cross grained nickel plated army dagger has me a little perplexed. Sight unseen I think there are a couple of possibilities. The first is that it might have been coarsely polished prior to the nickel plating. Which would or should permit more cross graining to show through even with a plated blade.

The other is that it was lightly polished afterward (at some point) with a coarser (grain size) polishing grit - instead of a finer polishing grit. Nickel has a hardness approaching that of steel and there is no physical reason that it could not be polished after it was plated (in a production/commercial environment nickel plating is commonly polished - for example prior to chrome plating). My only concern being that that it does not seem very cost effective to try and replicate a cross grain finish on top of nickel plating. And for the moment I can’t imagine why the Germans would want to do something like that. FP