Germany, Luftwaffe. An Officer’s Dress Dagger, by Hans Kolping

(Luftwaffe Dolch für Offizier). A well-preserved Luftwaffe Officer’s dress dagger, measuring 43 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 26.5 cm-long, nickel-plated, magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and edges. The blade bears double-sided, acid-etched designs, with the obverse displaying a central Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, flanked by arabesque designs, while the reverse has plain arabesque latticework. The reverse ricasso has a maker’s mark reading “H. KOLPING, SOLINGEN”, circumscribing the firm’s stein logo. It sits securely within a silvered alloy crossguard, the obverse of which bears a raised Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, with the seam covered by an intact black leather buffer pad. The handle grip is composed of a single piece of ribbed white celluloid, with the ribbing retaining an original twisted and rolled bronze wire cord. It completes with a silvered alloy pommel, consisting of a double-sided wreathed mobile swastika, screwing in to maintain the dagger’s structural integrity. It is accompanied by its original scabbard, constructed of a pebbled magnetic metal shaft. The upper third of the shaft has two integral oak leaf bands retaining loops for the accommodation of a hanger. A functional spring clip firmly holds the dagger in place during storage. Minor issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include some running marks to the blade, loss of finish to the hilt fixtures, and tarnishing throughout the scabbard. The dagger remains in an overall better than very fine condition.