Hello Tom,
Aha, it is your dagger in the Wittmann book! That is a nice bonus for the day you want to sell
Smart move!
Well, the grip wire was done very professionaly!
Personaly, I never remove any patina, but would remove these remains of cleaning product on your dagger: with a wooden toothpick and a dry soft teethbrush, all of it would be easely gone if you take the time to do it.
Next picture shows the "10" on the ball of my dagger's scabbard.
The blade is polished, not plated as show in the second picture.
Best regards,
Herman
