This is another Imperial Fire Official's dagger although the form is completely different from the preceding one. Although scarce in general, this model can be found on dealers' sites & certainly on Eban from time to time. They generally don't reach super heights in price which is nice & allows the collector to cherry pick a more clean piece without breaking the bank. That said, it's sometimes tough to find this model in collectible condition. I looked for a long time to find a clean one, only to have 3 fall from the trees within the same month. Just the way it goes sometimes
One particular feature of this model Fire Official's dagger is that it is usually seen with a sawback blade, something that will tickle most blade collectors. Anyone collecting 3R fire bayonets will love that facet as most will agree that the cream of the crop of those bayonets have the sawback blades. The prevailing notion behind the sawback blade has to do with the fireman's task of having to cut through flaming timbers, to douse the flames & potentially save a life.
Both Eickhorn & WKC manufactured this type of dagger although this particular one was produced by WKC's presecessor WK&C, Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie. This dagger was model #108 in WK&C's dagger catalogue. The similar model produced by Eickhorn had model #743. Oddly enough, this company is still in operation & still producing daggers of yesteryear's design, albeit with today's lesser quality.
http://www.wkc-collection.de/english/50marine.htmlThe parts on this dagger are well made & well fitted, the piece is heavier in hand that it would appear. As you can see, the hilt design is rather devoid of detail. This is a very utilitarian piece. At least from the outside that is.
