(Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten Dolch). An exceptionally well-preserved National Political Institutes of Education (NPEA) graduation dagger, measuring 370 mm in length when inserted into the scabbard. The dagger features a 220 mm-long magnetic metal blade with a sharpened tip and semi-sharpened edges, the obverse of which bears an acid-etched inscription of “MEHR SEIN ALS SCHEINEN” (“BE MORE THAN YOU APPEAR”), while the reverse has a maker’s mark of “KARL BURGSMÜLLER, BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG 5”. The blade fits neatly into the upper crossguard, itself constructed of nickel-plated zink and marked with eight notes, with four each on the top and bottom. The upper crossguard transitions in a lacquered brown wooden handle which shows only minimal age-related shrinkage.
The dagger completes with a lower crossguard, similarly constructed of nickel-plated zink, and is held together by a metal pommel nut. The obverse of the lower crossguard bears an etched inscription of “N.P.E.A. POTSDAM-NEUZELLE, OSTERN 1935”. It is accompanied by its period original scabbard, constructed of olive-drab painted magnetic metal. The throat retains a functional spring catch, securely holding the dagger in place during storage, while the shaft has a protruding hooking fastening the scabbard to an original frog. The latter is constructed of blackened leather and held together by three rows of hand-stitching. Some running marks are evident to the blade, there is a small chip to the handle near the reverse lower crossguard, and minor scratching appears on the scabbard, which includes a mobile swastika that has been formed by scratching out the obverse paint. The dagger is in an overall near extremely fine condition.