Germany, Heer. An Officer’s Dress Dagger, with Hanger, by E.W. Hörster

(Heer Offiziersdolch mit Anhänger). A well-preserved Heer Officer’s dress dagger, measuring 41 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 is plain with the exception of a maker’s mark on the reverse ricasso of “E.W. HÖRSTER, SOLINGEN”, circumscribing the firm’s elaborate monogram logo. It sits securely within a nickel-plated alloy upper crossguard, with the obverse bearing a detailed Wehrmacht eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, with the seam covered by an intact brown leather buffer pad. The handle grip is composed of a single piece of ribbed brown celluloid, and the dagger completes with a rounded pommel which bears raised oak leaves around the outer circumference, screwing in to maintain the dagger’s structural integrity. Wrapped around the crossed guard and handle is a matching portepee consisting of a stylized silver aluminum wire acorn suspended from a strap of identical construction. It is accompanied by its period original scabbard, constructed of a plated and pebbled magnetic metal shaft. The upper third of the shaft features dual integral oak leaf bands retaining loops for the accommodation of a hanger. The throat is flanked by a single rivet which fastens in place a functional spring catch to firmly hold the dagger in place during storage. It is accompanied by a matching hanger, consisting of a silvered zink buckle from which two field-grey doeskin straps emanate, each topped by a silver aluminum wire tresse and adjusted with a functional zink buckle. Both straps complete with functional zink spring clip for attachment to the scabbard’s loops. Minor issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include some running marks to the blade, loss of finish to the nickel-plated features, and minor material fatigue of the hanger. The dagger remains in an overall near extremely fine condition.