Original German WWII Army Heer Officer Dagger by Alcoso with Scabbard - circa 1940 - 1943

Item DescriptionOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice circa 1940 example of the typical German WWII Army Officer dagger with its original scabbard made by the Solingen-based firm ofAlcoso Werke, Stahlwarenfabrik. The fittings look to be silver plated, which has oxidized and tarnished over the years, giving it a great patinated look.The pommel of this dagger is in good condition, showing a bit of wear around the rim, and some bubbling / peeling of the silver plating due to wear, showing the aluminum base metal. The standing oak leaves and acorns on the sides are crisply detailed and have good darkened backgrounds. The crossguard also shows much of the original silver plating, with wear through to the base metal on the corners and raised areas on both sides. The details throughout the eagle are still great throughout the head, breast and wing feathering, talons and wreathed mobile swas. We can see some scratching on the left wing.The celluloid grips of these daggers often fade over time, sometimes to a dark orange color. This example however is still the original ivory white color, with just a bit of staining in the recessed grooves. There are no cracks or chunks missing, however the surface shows a find pattern of checking and cracking due to age, and also shows some overall staining. The plated ferrule is intact, and in very good shape, showing a lovely tarnished look.The carbon steel blade is in very good condition, showing the factory final polish crossgrain throughout the blade, though there are also some areas of past oxidation staining, now removed. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It has removed the crossgrain in areas, and it looks to be from 'water stain' oxidation on the blade. The edge has correctly not been sharpened, and the needle like tip is fully intact. The leather blade washer is still intact and in place inside the crossguard.The reverse ricasso is etched with the trademark Alcoso used from 1940-1943. It depicts the scales with the firm's initials,AWSinterspersed. Next to this is the firm's name in cursive script,Alcoso,and below the town of business,SOLINGEN, the legendary 'City of Blades' in Western Germany.According to J Anthony Carter's WorkGERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS,Alcosois a trade name of Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik, located in Solingen, the legendary German 'City of Blades.' The company was a major manufacturer of edged weapons and tools from the end of the 19th century up until the WWII period. Unfortunately, as NSDAP-control increased, brothers Carl Gustav and Dr. Alexander Coppel, the Jewish owners of the firm, were forced out. In 1936 the firm had been 'Aryanized', and started using the name ALCOSO to hide the Jewish family name. By the end of 1936 the brothers were ejected from their Solingen offices, and by 1940 the brand trademark initials ACS were changed to AWS to reflect the change in ownership and name: Alexander Coppel Solingen to Alcoso-Werk Solingen. Carl Gustav Coppel committed suicide in Solingen in 1941, and Dr. Alexander Coppel was arrested in 1942 and sent to Theresienstadt Prison camp, where he died August 5th 1942. The factory itself was destroyed by Allied bombers in November 1944.The scabbard is a fine silver-plated steel example, with a great tarnished patina and most of original plating intact. There are no dents or bends in the scabbard body that we can see. The sides have very crisp, finely pebble-grained panels. The alloy carrying bands have a pattern of overlapping oak leaves and acorns, with hand enhancing evident on each of the leaves. They do show wear and denting from service. The throat is the narrow style, retained by 'cheese head' screws on the narrow sides of the scabbard.Overall a great example of a German Heer Officer's Dagger with scabbard, from a maker with a somber back story.Specifications:Blade Length: 10 1/4'Blade Style: Spear Point DaggerOverall length: 14 3/4'Crossguard: 2 3/4'Scabbard Length: 11 1/8'The German Army (Heer) first carried a dagger beginning in 1935. The weapon was worn in lieu of occasions not demanding the wearing of a more formal sword. The dagger design was quite attractive featuring silvered heavy fittings with white or colored grip. The crossguard depicted a Wehrmacht open-winged eagle clutching a wreathed swas.The pommel depicted oak leafing around the outer circumference. The scabbard had panels of pebble designs. Later produced examples were plated with nickel, and late war-made pieces were unplated, finished in a gray color metal. This early war version is quite nice, and in great shape.Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or GermanyPayment OptionsNot eligible for payment with Paypal or AmazonLegal InformationDue to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.