DLVNSFK #33285C Early DLV Glider Pilot Dagger – Paul Weyersberg

This Weyersberg Glider Pilot example is in choice condition throughout. The silvered hilt fittings have a deep, uniform patination. The pommel is the three-stage type and it shows no hits or problems anywhere. The cross guard features the square center block which has the applied medallions in the center which feature a black enamel swastika. The cross guard arms come outward in a downward curve and they are three-staged. There is “k” stamping on this cross guard. (Sometimes the “k” is not there, as this was the marking of the prime supplier for these mounts but this company did not make them all.) The grip is a wood base having a bulbous center tapering upward and downward. This grip is covered in fine blue Moroccan grained leather which remains in perfect condition. The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has matching Moroccan leather. This leather is also in perfect condition. The scabbard mounts nicely match the patination of the hilt fittings and they, too, are in perfect condition, with no flaws to the lower ball. These mounts both have twin decorative lines along the border area where they meet the scabbard shell. The mounts are retained by dome head style screws exactly like SA examples. Normally, we see flathead style screws but, apparently, Weyersberg chose the round head type. The carrying ring is equipped with a short hanger and belt loop. The hanger has excellent brown leather which is retained by two oval discs, one on each side and each having two-rivet construction. The snap clip is an unmarked type exactly matching the existing patination. There is a small belt loop which has exact matching leather and I am quite sure this belt loop is original to this piece. Instead of a “d” ring, the ring is almost shaped like a “v”, however, the area around the snap clip is straight. The throat of this example is stamped with the wing propeller. Additionally, it is marked with the letter “h” and also the number “2”. The blade is a real beauty. This blade is totally pristine, having 100% of the cross graining and a fine, needlelike tip. The reverse ricasso of this mint blade is etched with the double ovals of this firm. The ovals contain the firm’s name and location “Paul Weyersberg & Co Solingen”. In the center is a downward pointing sword within two wheat shafts. The original matching blue leather buffer is in place. A very fine example here.

Near Mint. $2,495.00

 DLVNSFK #33286C Crackle-Finish NSFK Glider Pilot Dagger – F. & A. Helbig

This aluminum NSFK Glider Pilot Dagger is in very fine condition. The aluminum mounts still have a newlike satin finish throughout. The pommel is the three-staged variety and there are no hits or flaws anywhere. The center block features a square area with a black cut-in swastika on both sides. On these aluminum versions, the swastika is actually done with paint. The obverse swastika is about 98% and the reverse swastika is about 85%. The grip is aluminum finished with a crackle look to the surfaces. This simulates leather. The grip is painted blue and the paint is still in 100% condition. The matching scabbard also has the crackle finish and the paint here is 100%. The scabbard mounts are matching satin finish aluminum. They have twin decorative lines on the edges that meet the scabbard shell. These mounts are in pristine condition. They are retained by flush mount, flathead screws in the edges. The original hanger is attached to the carrying ring. The hanger has good brown leather which is enclosed over an aluminum base. The leather is retained in position by oval discs. The disc at the upper is an aluminum example and the disc at the lower appears to maybe be constructed of a different metal. It is possible that this lower disc is a replacement, but, if it is, it was done a long time ago. The snap clip is a matching aluminum, being unmarked. The blade of this example is in pristine, mint condition. It is mirror bright, retaining all of its cross graining and having a needlelike tip. The reverse ricasso is etched with a double ellipse. The ellipse retains the firm’s name and location “F & A Helbig Steinbach Kr. M.”. In the center is the word “saefler”. The original leather blade buffer is in place and has worked wonders to preserve this beautiful blade. The throat of this example is marked, but with an extreme near miss. Just the bottom appears if you look real close to the throat. A very fine example of a crackle finish NSFK glider pilot dagger.

Near Mint. $1,795.00

 DLVNSFK #33307 NSFK Glider Pilot Dagger – F. & A. Helbig

This Helbig example is complete with early nickel fittings throughout, all of which are in good condition. The fittings show normal wear but are still mostly crisp. The pommel is the typical three-stage type and there are no nicks or problems around the circumferences. The cross guard has the square center block with black enamel swastika medallions applied. The enamel to the swastikas is perfect on both sides. The quillon arms are the three-stage variety, tapering slightly toward the ends. One end of the cross guard is stamped with the letter “k”. The grip is a carved wood example having a bulbous center and tapering on both ends. The grip is covered with fine Moroccan leather. This leather has a couple of scuffs here and there on one side and the other side is still in perfect condition. The grain of the leather is still quite prominent. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. The Moroccan leather of the scabbard exactly matches that of the grip, having good grain pattern throughout. There are a couple of scuffs in the scabbard leather and on the lower edge there is a small nip about the size of a small peanut. The nip happened many years ago and the area is quite dark where the steel shows and is not noticeable. The scabbard mounts have the typical twin line decoration where they meet the shell. The lower ball has a minor tap at the very center. The scabbard throat is stamped with the NSFK winged man clutching a mobile swastika. All screws are in place. They are the dome head variety as opposed to the flatter head type, but they all appear to be original and in place. The hanger is in place. It is interesting to note that the Helbig Company made the later produced aluminum examples and the hangers which appear on these pieces have a metal structure which is covered with leather. This piece also has the same metal structure we see on the crackle finish pieces. When we acquired this piece, the leather was gone from the metal base and we re-covered it. If I didn’t tell you, you probably wouldn’t know that it is re-covered. We used a matching darker leather with nice grain and re-applied the two oval connecting discs and re-did the rivets in a proper manner. The original unmarked nickel snap clip is in place. The blade of this example is still bright throughout. It shows some in-and-out usage marks but overall, the grain still appears in about 90% of the surfaces. This blade easily grades at excellent plus plus. The reverse ricasso is marked in the shape of an ellipse with the producer’s name above “F & A Helbig” and below, the area where the factory was located “Steinbach (Kr. M.).” In the middle is the word “Saeller”. The original matching leather blade washer is in place, showing some age and a small nip to one portion of the edge. Overall though, a good, livable example here. NSFK marked pieces seem to be much more difficult to acquire than the DLV types.

Excellent. $1,395.00

DLVNSFK #32090 NSFK Glider Pilot - Gebr. Heller, Balloon Man Logo

The fittings on this Heller example are very early and they have not been cleaned in recent years but have a good strong patination throughout. The pommel is the three-stage type and it shows no hits or problems. The cross guard center block has the medallion insert. The insert has a black mobile swastika on each side. The enameling still looks good throughout. The gracefully curving cross guard wings are three-stage motif and on one edge there is a letter “k” stamped. The grip is a wood base covered with blue Moroccan leather. The covering is done in two pieces as we usually see. This grip is more bulbous in the center and tapers to both ends. This leather is in perfect condition throughout, still having good prominent graining. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell is covered with matching blue Moroccan leather also having fine grain pattern. This leather is also in perfect condition. The upper and lower scabbard mounts nicely match the patination of the hilt fittings. The mounts have the twin line decoration near the edges where they meet the scabbard shell. The throat on this example is marked with the winged man clutching a swastika. Additionally, the throat is stamped with a stick bird waffenamp. Looking at the opposite end of the cross guard quillon, I also see there is a waffenamp stamp there which appears out of the depths of the patination. The scabbard mounts are retained by flathead style screws which are all present and unbuggered. Attached to the carrying ring is the original leather short hanger. This leather shows age and usage but it is still sound. The leather is retained by two oval discs which are rivet-held. There is a matching patinated unmarked snap clip attached to the hanging strap. The blade of this example is still mostly bright. It has some or most of its original cross graining in the surfaces. On the obverse, there is a little rub spot near the ricasso area where someone cleaned off some rust long ago. The tip of this example was broken off when they obtained the dagger. We welded, shaped and polished a new tip for this piece and I think if I did not tell you, you would probably never know. This new tip came out outstanding. The reverse of the ricasso is deeply etched with the pleasing marking of a balloon man selling his wares. The balloon man walks over the firm’s name, town and location “Gebr. Heller/Marienthal/b.Schweina/trh.”. This fine blade is protected by the original matching blue grained leather washer. A nice glider pilot here if you can live with the fact that it is re-tipped. It is priced accordingly.

Excellent Plus. $1,495.00

DLVNSFK #32307 NSFK Glider Pilot Knife - Clemen & Jung

This Glider Pilot Dagger is fashioned of early heavy silver mounts. We do not see this maker mark much on these NSFK pieces as they did not produce very many of them. The pommel is a fine three-staged affair still being in perfect condition and having good silvered surfaces. The cross guard square center block shows a little bit of wear and the round center medallion appears to be an insert type. The swastika is turned on its mobile side and it does not appear to be an enameled piece but rather some sort of painted surface. The cross guards have a nice downward flow to them and neither one of them is marked with the “k” letter as apparently the manufacturer who represented the “k” maker mark did not produce these fittings. The grip is a fine wood base. It is bulbous in the center and tapers to the ends. This grip is covered with blue Moroccan leather which has a fine grain and is two-piece construction. This leather is in perfect condition. The scabbard shell is a steel base. This shell is straight throughout and has matching Moroccan blue leather covering. This leather remains in perfect condition and has good graining matching that of the grip. The scabbard mounts are in excellent condition, having matching patination. These mounts are decorated with the twin lines on the lower areas where they touch the scabbard shell. Unlike standard glider pilot knives, the screws which hold these mounts are not the flathead type but are rather early nickel style political type screws. The throat of this example is not marked. Also, there is no hanger on this scabbard. The blade of this piece is a real beauty. It still has all of its cross graining with a good needlelike tip. This blade is in mint condition. The reverse ricasso is etched with the oval late trademark used by this firm. Inside the circumference of the oval is the firm’s name and location printed in capital letters “CLEMEN & JUNG SOLINGEN”. In the center is a crown over a shield containing a “z” letter. The original leather blade buffer is gone to time. A nice piece here which differs from the standard type but it is absolutely original and represents later production.

Excellent Plus. $1,295.00

DLVNSFK #31806C DLV Glider Pilot Dagger - F.& A. Helbig

This Glider Pilot Dagger example looks pretty good on the surface, but it does reflect some restoration work. The hilt fittings are the early nickel type. They are in excellent condition throughout, still being quite crisp. The pommel is the 3-stage type, showing no hits to the surfaces. The crossguard below has a good center square block with the medallion insert containing a black mobile enamel swastika on both sides. The enamel is still in perfect condition. The crossguard arms are triple segmented and go downward gracefully. One crossguard end has the “K” letter stamped into its surfaces. The grip is a wood base. This wood is bulbous in the center, tapering evenly to both ends. The grip has been recovered with a close resembling leather. The leather is a little bit more grainy than the original. The job was well done, though, and was performed using two pieces like the originals were. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has also been recovered with new leather, matching that of the grip. Like the grip, this work was well performed. The scabbard mounts are in excellent condition, having the twin line designs on the areas that abut the scabbard shell. The throat is marked with the DLV propeller with swastika. The mounts are retained with flathead style screws in perfect condition, all lined up North to South. There is a hanger on this example. I believe that the hanger is also a replacement. It is a fine brown leather, and maybe just a little bit wider than what the originals were. The leather has redecorative lines on the edges. This strap is retained by an oval disc on each side, retained with a rivet. The snap clip is a later type than we would normally see on a dagger of this vintage. This snap clip is plated and is marked on the reverse, “RZM M5/71 OLC”. This clip was made about 1938 or 1939, while the dagger was produced about 1936 or 1937. The blade of this example is not quite as nice as the outside looks. The blade is slightly gray, but does not have a displeasing look. Apparently, someone did attempt to clean the blade. The reverse ricasso is etched with the original trademark. The trademark is quite light, also an indication that someone has cleaned the blade. The mark is visible, though, being a double ellipse containing the firm’s name and location, “F. & A. Helbig, Steinbach”. The original blade buffer is in place. An original DLV example here, showing some restoration. The knife is priced accordingly.

Excellent. $895.00

DLVNSFK #24333 DLV Glider Pilot Dagger - Carl Eickhorn

This Glider Pilot Dagger is an early example, having silvered solid nickel fittings throughout. The pommel is the 3-stage type and it is in excellent condition, showing good patination. The matching crossguard square center block is set with medallions containing the black enamel swastika on both sides. The obverse side is perfect, whereas the reverse has a couple of “taps” to the enamel, but not bad. The crossguard arms gracefully slope downward. One end is stamped with the letter “K”. The grip is a bulbous shape, being and tapering evenly to both ends. This grip reflects original blue leather covering. The leather is in fairly good condition, showing a little bit of deterioration around the ferrule area at the bottom, but still looks okay. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. There was no leather on this example when we acquired it. We, therefore, recovered the scabbard shell and it looks very good in my opinion. The scabbard mounts have a fine matching patinated silver with nickel base. They are in excellent condition, decorated in twin lines on the areas where they meet the shell. The screws are all in place, being the flatter head type, and they are unturned. There is no hanger on this example. The blade has a gray color to it, and it also shows signs of someone working it over with a wire brush. Unfortunately, this tends to make for an undesirable situation. The blade maker logo is still visible on the reverse ricasso. It is the small double ovals used from 1933 to 1935. The ovals trap the firm’s name, “Carl Eickhorn”, and the location, “Solingen”. The squirrel is in the center. This blade only grades at good plus. The original blade buffer is in place. A good piece here for someone on a budget, and with a blade replacement could be a pretty nice dagger. Priced accordingly.

Excellent. $895.00

DLVNSFK #31603 NSFK Glider Pilot Dagger - F. & A. Helbig

This glider pilot dagger is overall in very nice condition. The pommel is the three stage type and all sections are in good condition with no hits or nicks. The crossguard has the square center block and there are round medallions which feature enamel swastikas. The twelve o’clock leg of the obverse swastika has a little bit of the enamel material missing but it is not bad. The three staged crossguards flow downward nicely. One end is marked with the letter “K”. The grip is the wood base type and it is covered with original fine Moroccan leather. This leather is done in two sections and still has most of its original graining. The leather is in excellent condition. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has outstanding original leather which is still in perfect condition throughout having good grain to its surfaces. The scabbard mounts have patinaed nicely indicating that they have a good silver plated surface. These mounts are in perfect condition throughout to include the lower ball. The original screws are in place being the flatter head style. The throat is stamped with the NSFK winged man with swastika and also has a waffen amt which appears to be a stickbird over the number “96”. The leather hanger is also in good condition. This dark brown leather is still supple and is retained with two nickel oval plates which are held in place by two rivets. The snap clip is an unmarked early nickel type. The blade of this example is nice and bright and still has about 95% of its original graining. This blade is in near mint condition. The reverse ricasso is etched with the double ellipse which contains the firm’s name and location, “F&A Helbig Steinbach Kr.M.”. In the center is the word which appears to be “Gaeller”. The original leather blade washer is in place. A very nice example here.

Near Mint. $1995.00

DLVNSFK #31093 Early NSFK Glider Pilot Knife - SMF

This early glider pilot knife has silvered solid nickel fittings. It does not appear to have ever been cleaned since the war. These fittings are still in very excellent condition having patination across their surfaces which could be confused with condition problems by people that do not know. These fittings are in perfect condition beneath the patination and it would be the choice of the next purchase whether he wishes to clean them or not. Most of the SMF pieces that you see lack the silver plating as it wore off quickly. The pommel is the three stage variety and it still is in good condition showing only normal usage signs. The silvering is still within the recessed areas of this pommel but it is worn to the nickel base on the outside areas. The crossguard has 100% of its silver plating throughout the center block as well as the crossguard arms. This center block is as crisp as the day it was produced. It includes a medallion featuring a black enamel swastika applied to the center of both sides of the center block. The crossguard wings gently flow down in three segments. Each segment is still factory crisp. The left quillon end is waffen amt with the inspector number “96”. The right crossguard and quillon end is stamped with the usual “K”. Stamped on the bottom of both crossguard arms are also markings. The left side is stamped, “T.S.5” and the right side is stamped “62”. These kind of markings stand for technical schools or “schule” and can also be seen on the piece that I show in my Luftwaffe book on page 27, upper. The markings were done to keep track of pieces owned by the school. It is also interesting to note that on the scabbard at about the center point it is stamped “5” which ties this scabbard in nicely with the knife. In addition to this stamping the scabbard also has the NSFK winged man over a swastika and next to this image is the stamping that looks like an “H” and it has the numerals “F” and “35” in the upper and lower portions of the “H” letter. This stamping can be seen on the piece that I show on page 26 of my Luftwaffe book. It is a lot of fun to study these marking and pieces that have them are always much more in demand than those that do not. The grip of this example is a wood base and is covered with blue Moroccan leather. The leather is done in two pieces and it remains in completely perfect condition having most of all of its original grain. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell also has outstanding original blue Moroccan leather. This leather has no nips, breaks or cuts which is quite unusual. The scabbard is fitted with excellent mounts. The upper mount still has all of its silvering whereas the lower mount is worn mostly down to the nickel base. Again, if these fittings were clean they would be in a near full mint state. The lower ball has a couple of tap taps but they are nothing. These mounts are complete with the original flatter style screw heads and all four screws are present. Attached to the upper carrying ring is the original hanger. This hanger has a good brown leather which is retained by two ovals one on each side with two rivets holding them in place. The snap clip is an unmarked nickel based silvered variety nicely matching the rest of the knife. Attached to the snap clip is the original belt loop. This belt loop has exact matching brown leather to that of the short hanger and additionally it has a very interesting D-ring. This D-ring is a lot more stubby than most of them are. It also has a flat edge on the reverse. I just wonder whether this particular belt loop is unique to NSFK DLV glider pilot daggers. I don’t recall having a glider pilot with a belt loop in the past so this may be a very rare accoutrement. This DLV comes directly from the veteran’s family so it has never been in a collection. It is reasonable to assume that the dagger came back exactly as it is today. As we would hope, the blade is also a beauty. This blade is nice and bright and retains its needlelike tip. It has all of the original crossgraining and other than just the slightest traces of some age around the ricasso area it is in mint condition. It is rare to see a really nice blade on one of these glider pilot knives as they were mostly worn by teenagers and young men and we all know the result of that after looking at most of the surviving Hitler Youth knives. The reverse ricasso is lightly etched with the seated king trademark. The king is positioned over the firm’s initials, “SMF” and holds an upward pointing sword. Below this is the city name of “Solingen”. The original brown leather washer is in place. An extremely nice glider pilot dagger here. This dagger has many exciting extras.

Untouched Near Mint. $2,295.00(#092311)

DLVNSFK #31146C DLV Glider Pilot Knife - Paul Weyersberg

This glider pilot knife has the early nickel mounts which have been silver plated. The plating remains at about 80% throughout the piece. The pommel is the three stage type and there are no wearing hits around the edges. The original plating can be seen in the recesses. The crossguard has a good crisp center block featuring the mobile black enamel swastikas on each side. These swastikas are in perfect condition. The crossguard wings have a gentle flow downward and it is interesting to note that there is quite a bit of the original frosting still left in the areas protected by the center block. The crossguard has the “K” stamped into the end. I believe that this “K” was probably the initial of the man who made these fittings for most of the producers. The grip of this example is a wood base and it is bulbous in the center and tapers evenly on both ends. The original leather is in choice condition having no problems anywhere and still retaining its fine original grain. The matching scabbard shell leather is also in perfect condition having a good deep blue color and also all of its graining. It is rare to see original leather this good on a glider pilot piece. After all these pieces were mostly carried by young men and most of these knives went through many of the same horrors as did the Hitler Youth knives only not as bad. The scabbard mounts are matching nickel and they are in good shape throughout. All four screws are in place and they are unturned. The short hanger is also a real gem. It is of blue leather having the decorative lines on the edges. The leather is in almost new-like condition and it is retained by the standard two nickel oval plates held together with rivets. The snap clip is a matching unmarked nickel type which also has some frosting in the hinge areas. A very good outside! The blade of this example is nice and bright. The obverse has all of the crossgraining and other than the standard runner marks is in mint condition. The reverse appears to have had a spot down from the trademark and someone rubbed it off a while ago. It is not noticeable but can be seen there as the rest of the reverse blade is still in mint condition also having its crossgraining. The reverse blade is etched with the double ovals. These ovals contain the firm’s name and location, “Paul Weyersberg and Co. Solingen”. Inside is a downward pointing sword which is flanked by wheat shafts. The original matching blue leather blade buffer is in place. A very nice example here not seen too often in this condition.

Near Mint. $1895.00