Germany, Luftwaffe. An Officer’s Dress Dagger, First Pattern, by Paul Weyersberg & Co.

(Luftwaffe Offiziers-Dolch). A well-preserved, first pattern Luftwaffe Officer’s dress dagger, measuring 47.5 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 31 cm-long, nickel-plated, magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and edges. The reverse ricasso bears a maker’s mark of “PAUL WEYERSBERG & CO., SOLINGEN”, circumscribing the firm’s wreathed sword logo. It sits securely within a nickel-silver crossguard which takes the form of stylized wings joined together in the middle with gilded sunwheel-style mobile swastika, with the seam covered by an intact dark blue Moroccan leather buffer pad. The handle grip is composed of a wooden core wrapped in a ribbed dark blue Moroccan leather liner, with the ribbing retaining an original twisted and rolled bronze wire cord. It completes with a flattened and rounded nickel-silver pommel, bearing double-sided sunwheel-style mobile swastikas, screwing in to maintain the dagger’s structural integrity. The dagger is accompanied by its original scabbard, constructed of a magnetic metal shaft with a dark blue Moroccan leather exterior liner. Magnetic metal fixtures are secured to the tip, mid-section, and throat. Emanating from the latter two are loops which retain an aluminum chain link hanger, culminating in a functional aluminum spring clip maker marked with the logo of Overhoff & Cie, Lüdenscheid. The throat has a functional spring catch to firmly hold the dagger in place during storage. Issues consistent with age and use are evident, and include some running marks to the blade with shallow chips to the edges, in addition to minor oxidation and loss of finish to the nickel-silver fixtures. It remains in an overall near extremely fine condition.