Paul, Like I said last night, if guys want to have and enjoy the NS/Gau marked Type I daggers that is fine with me. And if they want to buy and sell them that is between them and their customers, which is also their prerogative.
I also have Tom�s book and overall like it, although it does have some bad information and questionable examples. And I still don�t understand the rationale for giving the (so called) Type I daggers that label, but its locked in place now.
That said, if the book is the ultimate unquestionable �textbook� on SS daggers. Why is it that Tom made no mention at all of the Type �X� chain sets (although he does in fact have one in the book I believe on page 152.)??
Grumpy, Nickel plated iron crossguards are seen with Eickhorn and Max Weyersberg political daggers as well, and no doubt some others if we did a head count. It wasn�t something they wanted to do, but was forced on makers by the conservation of at first copper for military purposes. And with cast iron you could use the same molds and hand finishing techniques (although a lot harder to do and more costly/labor intensive), before they ultimately went to the much more cost effective die casting and zinc. (And as supplies of nickel itself became harder to find and more costly, zinc was more tolerant to corrosion with the thinner plating that they used with later production daggers - especially as compared to cast iron). Regards to All, Fred
