This dagger appears to be a beauty, but there are 3 things that concern me, Wikinger asked me for my opinion, so here it is...
1. The Herder TM has been etched from artwork that uses contemporary typography. The letter forms are mechanical font, whereas period artwork was typically hand-drawn for the making of the etch templates. The ovals are proportional, and again period "ovals" were usually elongated, again hand-drawn. The point is missing after the "ABR" and the general; proportion of the TM differs from all period Herder TMs I have seen.
2. The Rohm inscription again differs from the typical longhand construction. Noted are the decender loops and character proportions. This in itself may not be conclusive as there are differences, frequently in letter "weight" due to the acid etch, but the form combined with the TM raises a red flag for me.
3. The district marking differs, the die is sharp and wide spaced, and I have noted this same characteristic on other dubious SS pieces. Again, not conclusive in itself... but period stamps tend to be duller and consistently narrower.
It's a tricky one as the rest looks good, perhaps a parts piece with a repro or re-etched blade. The tang looks good, so anyones guess...
Red
