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.

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