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Unidentified German knife 1935 (No2)


Steelbonnet

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Any ideas what the back story to this knife is.

It has been speculated that it was a freeby to helpers/officials.

Or was sold to raise funds? for what

Or was a give away to foreign visitors/press officials to take the message home

Any suggestions  would be appreciated

Gordon

PS I have no doubt that this one is period

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Its pretty elaborate etching and colouring, but I would think that a specially commissioned knife would have a makers mark as well and I dont see one,  I,m not 100% sure on this one, although the 1936 Olympic commerarative HJ knife has the same type blade it still retains the HJ lozenge and makers mark, the grips on this one are blank as is the blade, Let some others comment , those with knife collections

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  • Major General

These are still made to this day afaik.

the plain grips are suspicious, as is the etching.not too much detail, and most etched German blades are notoriously done postwar.not that I'm a blade collector, just working on limited knowledge and common sense on this one.

I'd love to be proved wrong however...

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Guest Fred Karno's Army

Against all the odds and ducking below the parapet o.O,it looks certainly of the age and quality of the period,the etching isn't laser which is common for the past 10 years plus,and the blade etching colouring and everything else looks pukka. Just like these days most items produced for a one off novelty value are not necessarily produced by well known or expert makers.Cheap affordable souvenirs.

I hold off on this one ;)

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Thanks for the comments.

I bought this blade along with an assortment of WW2 booty (EK2, armband, couple of combat clasps, day badges etc) from the family of the vet who collected it. All these items are good period examples so there is no doubt in my mind that the knife is period.

The knife is smaller and lighter weight that a standard HJ knife

gordon

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 Works out at just over £200 each plus the shipping fee, but I would think that the Nurnberg knife would be rarer than a common HJ knife, if real. There could,nt have been many made or we would be seeing these on the market a lot more frequently, it also has a slight . I aricasso which were only produced in much later knives, all early produced knives of this period should have a makers mark of some description, there were over three hundred makers for the HJ knives and this is supposed to be a representation based on that design, a quick check of the scabbard might reveal certain information, which might help in authenticity, is the scabbard magnetic, are there any seam lines down the sides, does the interior have blade grips and are there remnants of cotton pads on them. Check the the metal hilt, is that magnetic, check the rivets, one side should be rounded the other should show signs of being peened, but I see in the photo that one rivet looks slightly smaller on one side, or is that the angle of the picture , I also would like this to be the real deal as it means there is another avenue to a collector

 

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Yes well, unfortunately his opinion is,nt an indication of authenticity, he,s been known to sell a few dubious items before now. Looking at the one he has, theres absolutely no wear or tear on that scabbard at all, its pristine, shows no sign of age ,no little marks, paint is perfect, the leather strap looks like its just been made yesterday as there are still leather flashings and the black dye is completely unmarked and the blades cross graining looks more like scratches, cross graining is a delicate operation so as not to ruin the finish of the blade,but he does say there were very few of these made, which by that standard would make these extremely rare ,if real. I think the verdict is still out at the moment but I really would like this to be kosha for the sake of Gordons peace of mind

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1 hour ago, Libertesoe said:

:o:o:o 

LOL! He is indeed a friend, but even he states the jury is still out on the authenticity of these knives. Also, just because he's a friend, doesn't mean I agree with all of his identifications! 

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18 minutes ago, Steve T said:

:o:o:o 

LOL! He is indeed a friend, but even he states the jury is still out on the authenticity of these knives. Also, just because he's a friend, doesn't mean I agree with all of his identifications! 

Glad to hear it @Steve T....I like independent thinking!!!!!!;)

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A few comments following DaveJB's  observations.

The scabbard is magnetic the hilt is not, it could be polished aluminium it is not chrome plated.

The rivets are peened one side only this side marginally smaller grips could be bakolite

The rivet and snap are magnetic.

The paint is flaking off in bits typical of what I see in antique toys which for cost reasons, and short predicted life span, were not primed or undercoated.

The scabbard is of one piece with no visible seams. The top edge at the throat is unfinished and even on the bare metal there is no sign of a weld, The scabbard could be and extrusion that has been neatly finished at the bottom.

The decoration on the blade has been etched and couloured in. The yellow appears to be fade metallic.

The blade is relatively thin and tapers from back to edge which has not been sharpened.

Please note this knife is smaller than a HJ

Gordon

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