Heer Officer Dagger – Kölping

Product Description: This Heer Officer Dagger – Kölping is one of the nicest Army daggers we have ever had. It is absolutely beautiful. The blade remains in excellent condition. It shows a few spots of surface discoloration on both sides of the blade, but retains what appears to be full original crossgraining, and a very nice tip. The ricasso is neatly etched with the maker mark of H. Kölping in Solingen, a less commonly seen maker of these. The original pebbled leather scabbard buffer remains intact. All of the features on this dagger are textbook for this maker, with a 12 leaf pommel, a Type A crossguard, a Type C grip and a scabbard with one rear screw. The beautiful white grip remains in very good condition, and is free of cracks or any damage at all. The attractive grip material almost looks like artificial ivory. All of the fittings on the dagger and scabbard have all of the original plating and full original detail, and all of the fittings are tight, with no indication this has ever been disassembled. This Heer Officer Dagger – Kölping is complete with the original scabbard, which is is perfectly straight, with no dents. This is an outstanding dagger. The condition rates as excellent plus plus, bordering on near mint.

Historical Description: After WWI, the German military, known as the Reichswehr, was restricted to a relatively small force. Hitler changed this in 1935, reintroducing universal military conscription, and creating a new German Armed Forces- the Wehrmacht. Within the Wehrmacht, the German Army was known as the Heer, and a new dagger was designed and introduced for the officers of this new German Army in May 1935. As with all German Army officer uniforms and accoutrements, they were not issued; rather, the officer had to purchase them. These were ceremonial and decorative pieces of regalia, that were worn on occasions that did not call for carrying a sword. The overall pattern and design of the dagger remained consistent throughout the production run, but the large number of individual manufacturers created a wide variety in detail, especially regarding the handle fittings. There were approximately 42 different manufacturers of the blades. There were construction changes over time as well. Early German Army daggers generally featured plated brass alloy handle fittings. Later, zinc was used. Wartime type scabbards were generally unplated, with a gray finish. Production of German Army daggers ceased around 1943. The German Army was a huge organization, and large numbers of these daggers were produced. But there were many specific variants that were produced in low numbers, especially the highest quality, luxury type pieces for well-heeled officers. Some daggers were personalized, and customized, and are unique. The striking and attractive design of the German Army dagger was well-received by officers at the time, and these are very sought-after by collectors today.

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