Germany, Luftwaffe. An Officer’s Dress Dagger, by Arthur Schüttelhöfer

(Luftwaffe Offiziersdolch). A well-preserved Luftwaffe Officer’s dress dagger, measuring 425 mm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 265 mm-long polished magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and edges. The blade is plain with the exception of a maker’s mark on the ricasso reading “A. SCHÜTTELHÖFER & CO., SOLINGEN-WALD”, circumscribing the firm’s mounted horse logo. It sits securely within a nickel-silver alloy upper crossguard, the obverse of which presents as a detailed 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 pale orange celluloid, with the ribbing retaining an original twisted and rolled bronze wire cord. Completing the dagger is a rounded pommel bearing a double-side motif of a raised central swastika within an oak leaf wreath, securely screwing in to maintain the dagger’s structural integrity. It is accompanied by its period original scabbard, constructed of a pebbled magnetic shaft. Two integral bands bearing raised oak leaf designs are incorporated into the upper third of the shaft, each completing in a loop for the accommodation of a dagger hanger. The throat retains a functional spring catch, securely holding the dagger in place during storage, and is held together with dual side rivets. Some issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include oxidation of the blade, scratching of the handle grip, and loss of finish to the metal elements. It is in an overall near extremely fine condition.