I will say this: The topic has certainly created a heightened awareness of the H�hnlein daggers. And the thread is a long one. What was first a discussion of fit and craftsmanship underwent an evolutionary process as the items under discussion began to be evaluated in more detail. Discussed at length have been the etching and form of the signature. The hallmarks and the cast wide belt connector piece, and to a lesser extent the center scabbard fitting with the brass (?) rivet.
Some additional characteristics that might be worth a look. Especially if the item is being looked at in person, or becomes a part of a Q & A discussion, is what looks like in the first set of images more of a brown leather scabbard covering with a layer of black on top. Black leather German holsters and leather accouterments generally don�t have this appearance as they age/wear unless they have been dyed to change the color (which was purposely done with some items). Also the flattened wire link. Not typical of a conventional forming die it�s not wear, although wear does show the flattened surface to a better advantage. (Image # 1)
Again what seems in the image to be more of a brown leather covering on the scabbard. And possibly some more flattened wire links. And what could be cast chain links themselves. Some of the appearance on the rear of others posted also might be indicative of casting. But the level of detail is not good enough to form a conclusion and it is just a matter of interest if a detailed examination is being made. (Image # 2)
PS: Silver as a metal is no harder to stamp than nickel silver. From a manufacturing standpoint with small basically flat metal objects casting is much more labor intensive than stamping and not as precise. The trade off is in the cost of the die sets. Besides Assmann, there were a large number of RZM approved companies that made astronomical quantities of reasonably high quality small stamped metal items. So I think that it�s a fair assumption that there was not a significant shortage (if any) of tool and die makers in the prewar period to create die sets. FP
