This dagger has a mint blade showing a mirror finish and original polishing grain. We see just a couple of tiny specks of dried grease on it. These wide-bladed hewers were produced with blunt tips to accord with the Geneva Convention and disqualify them as weapons. The saw-back blades have unpleasant associations with some German bayonets of the First World War, but could be useful for cutting tree branches for splints or stretchers.

The bakelite grips on ours are excellent, with the obverse showing crisp checkering and the reverse smooth, as is correct. The screws are in place and aligned, showing no signs of turning, though the upper one has lost its muted nickel plating. The muted nickel is complete on the pommel, guard and scabbard mounts. The pommel shows a couple of darker spots where it has worn, and the upper scabbard mount shows some slightly graying and flaking at the bottom edge where some rust has also come up through the black paint of the scabbard. The raised oval on the crossguard bearing the eagle with swastika grasping the Red Cross emblem has some deeper gray to the muted nickel, but the surface seems okay with no flaking. Obverse ricasso of the blade is marked “GES GESCHUTZT” under the languet, which basically translates to “registered” or “protected.”

The scabbard is good, with just two areas of wear and small flakes to the paint on the obverse side about an inch below the edge of the frog and two inches over the drag. The black frog is present, but shows a narrow section out over the scabbard stud, certainly from someone trying to disengage it from the scabbard. The blade on this, however, more than makes up for the scabbard paint and frog.   [sr]

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