Germany, Heer. An Officer’s Dress Dagger, by Alexander Coppel

(Heer Offiziersdolch). A well-preserved Heer Officer’s dress dagger, measuring 395 mm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 160 mm-long polished magnetic metal blade with a sharpened tip and smi-sharpened edges. The blade presents plain with the exception of an etched maker’s mark near the reverse ricasso of “ALCOSO, SOLINGEN”, formerly the firm of Alexander Coppel, circumscribing the company’s scale logo. The blade sits securely within a silver-plated zink alloy upper crossguard, the obverse of which bears a raised and finely-detailed Wehrmacht eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika. A ring of identical construction, bearing a row of raised oak leaves, facilitates a transition into a handle grip composed of a single piece of ribbed white celluloid. The dagger completes with a rounded and silvered pommel, with raised oak leaves distributed across the circumference. The dagger is accompanied by its period original scabbard, constructed of a pebbled magnetic metal shaft. Two integrated bands featuring oak leaf designs are set around the upper third of the shaft, each retaining a loop for attachment to a hanger. The throat retains a functional spring catch, securely holding the dagger in place during storage, and is secured together with a single side rivet. Issues consistent with age and use are evident, and include pitting and oxidation of the blade, loss of finish to the zink alloy features, and oxidation of the scabbard. Additionally, friction renders insertion and extraction of the dagger from the scabbard difficult. It is in an overall very fine condition.