Land Customs Dagger – Hörster

Product Description: This Land Customs Official Dagger is a nice representative example of this scarce and desirable type, with an all-original look. This is a high quality, 1938 model “Reichsfinanzverwaltung Dolch für Landzoll-Beamte.”  The maker is E. & F. Hörster of Solingen. The bright blade on this one is in excellent condition, with nice crossgrain and a beautifully executed acid etched Hörster maker mark. The surface of the blade exhibits typical runner marks and graying, and retains nice luster. The handle is lovely, with textbook aluminum fittings. The crossguard is nicely hand enhanced, and shows the distinctive, upswept-winged Customs eagle. The unique Customs pommel with acanthus leaves is matching in tone and patina. The leathered grip is in good shape, with only slight leather wear, and is correctly wrapped with twisted aluminum wire. This handsome Land Customs Official Dagger is complete with its original scabbard. The scabbard is nice, with no dents to the scabbard body. It has correct, detailed bands, with the correct chased line approximately 5mm in from the front scabbard fitting edges. The fittings are all secured with headless screws, and it does appear that someone has tried to remove them at some time in this dagger’s life. The scabbard throat is integral to the upper fitting, as we see on 95% of these. The lower scabbard fitting has a minor hit to the lower reverse.  The leather on the scabbard has excellent coverage and remains in excellent condition. There are a few very small marks, as one normally finds on these, from honest period wear. It is rare to find original leather in great shape.This dagger displays extremely well. The overall condition rates as excellent.

Historical Description: Civil organizations during the Third Reich included daggers among their formal regalia, and this included the Customs (Zoll) branch of law enforcement, which was organized under Nazi auspices in 1937. This organization was tasked with both border control and immigration services, with personnel securing borders and waterways as well as handling various administrative functions including tax collection. The size of the organization was around 50,000 officials. The formal dress daggers were introduced in 1937 in two different patterns, one for land customs and the other for water customs. Water customs daggers had a gold finish. Land customs daggers, when first introduced, featured metal fittings made of nickel silver. In 1938, these were replaced with aluminum metal fittings. Production of the daggers ceased in 1942. The German Customs branch was much smaller than many other military and civil branches and as a result relatively few daggers were produced; they are rare and desirable to collectors today.

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