1725

Outstanding Post-War "Admiral Raeder" Style 2nd Model Naval Presentation Dagger with Scabbard and Po

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Outstanding Post-War  Admiral Raeder  Style 2nd Model Naval Presentation Dagger with Scabbard and Po
This is just an attractive example of a 2nd model "Naval Presentation" dagger with Admiral Raeder inscription. There were a total number of "6" documented WWII examples produced and presented as noted and described on pages 101-104, in the book "The Dagger and Edge Weapons Of Hitler's Germany" by Atwood. This particular example was made subsequently in the post-war era and has the hand forged, Damascus twist blade, gold washed 2nd model scabbard, one-piece ivory grip with gold leaves wrapped around the grip, with a single diamond (looks to be approximately .15 to .20 carat in size) insert into the center of the Swastika in the pommel head. These daggers were expressly commissioned by Admiral Raeder in 1938 and all six known examples were personally presented by Admiral Raeder to their recipients. Admiral Raeder had been a long time Naval officer starting his career in 1894 when he joined the Imperial German Navy. He rose through the ranks both before and during WWI and later during the Weimar Era. He was a staunch supporter of the rearmament and build up of Germany in the late 1920s and 1930s and was eventually promoted by Adolf Hitler to Gross Admiral in 1939. Of the six known examples the first was presented to Admiral Albrecht in Dec 1939 with two others presented to Admirals in late 1942 and the other three were presented to U-Boat Commanders for their significant Naval accomplishments in either sinking large numbers of allied shipping or specific one-time actions such as Oberleutnant Guenther Prien of U-47 who sank the British battleship Royal Ark in Scapa flow. It has been reported that all of the presentation daggers were produced by the Eickhorn firm however this specific presentation dagger is made by "P. Mueller" and so marked on the blade. A series of unsuccessful naval engagements in late 1942 lead to the demotion of Admiral Raeder in January 1943 and the appointment of Admiral Carl Donitz. Admiral Raeder eventually resigned in May 1943. This specific dagger as noted has the hand forged Damascus twist blade with a double fuller in the center of the blade on each side with the inscription on the upper hilt: "In dankbarer/Anerkennung/Raeder/ 13. August 1942", which loosely translate to "In Grateful Acknowledgement/Raeder/ 31 August 1942", with the obverse marked "Echt/Damast/P. Muller", which translates to "Genuine Damascus". The dagger is accompanied with the original gold washed Naval scabbard that is adorned with a Large Naval Anchor at the top intertwined with Germanic Oak leaves and two hanger/suspension rings a the top. This dagger is complete with a second grip that appears to also be made of ivory or bone that also has oak leaves wrapped around the grip and a silver braided Portepee. The dagger, scabbard, second grip and portepee are all housed in a very nice hand made (custom) presentation or display case.
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Excellent overall with the blade showing all of the Damascus pattern on the blade with clear, sharp makers markings and inscription. The ivory grip is also in excellent condition with a very nice old aged mellow color with a small chip on the back side of the handle at the top directly under the pommel. The Gold wrapped oak leave around the grip are all intact. The scabbard is also in excellent condition showing 99% of the Gold wash finish with some minor handling marks in a couple of places from light use. The pommel and crossguard are both intact and showing only minor handling marks and the diamond is still inset into the Swastika. The second grip shows some old age cracks and the wrapped Oak leaves on this one have been glued in place to keep the from falling off. The Portepee is also in near excellent condition with just some minor damage of the braiding at the top of the loop and in two other spots from being attached to the carrying rings. Here is a rare opportunity to own the next best thing to an original (this example is of the same quality) for a fraction of what the writer believes would be a six-digit figure price tag!