German Government and Diplomatic Officials carried extremely elegant daggers having silvered mounts with artificial mother-of-pearl grip plates. The pommel top is constructed in the shape of an eagle bird head shown from the side, positioned looking to the left. The crossguard portrays an open-winged eagle which clutches a wreathed swastika. On the Government Official's dagger, the bird looks to the left, the same direction as the top pommel. On the Diplomatic version, the bird looks to the right, opposite from the pommel top. The silvered scabbards are equipped with carrying bands which portray overlapping oak leaves with an acorn mix.
GODO #30716C Government Official Dagger
This Alcoso Government Official's Dagger is in an untouched state and it does never appear to have ever been apart. A great dagger here for someone who is looking for an “as found” example in virgin condition. The hilt is a fine example having crisp detail to the left looking eagle head pommel. This bird has a crisp brow over his eye and his four corners of the beak are still sharp. The accent lines which appear as feathering on both sides of the lower head are also crisp. The accent lines which run around the upper border are deep and well done. The left side plate is one of the brass based type and it has perfect silver plating. This normally would indicate an early piece here. The ferrule is also a beauty reflecting the hand cut twin line decoration. All of the silvering throughout this hilt appears to be there. There is one small wearing hit to the cantilever section of the eagle’s lower head. Other than this I see no flaws to the metal of this hilt. The grip, of course, is the wood base type to which has been glued the celluloid swirled plates which very much resemble mother of pearl. Both of these plates have turned a golden color and the workmanship to their fitting and shaping is absolutely perfect. The crossguard of this example portrays the upward pointing quillon ends with an outstretched wing eagle centered. This bird looks in the same direction as the pommel bird and also has outstanding detail to his head. In fact, this entire bird has very good detail something not seen too often on these Alcoso pieces. The breast area has the two notches at the center shoulders and the legs and talons are also well done where there are even signs of hand enhancing. The wreath is the smaller type having a nice black inside with a vaulted mobile swastika. An outstanding crossguard here also having all of its silvering and no carrying hits. Looking at the spanner at the top of the pommel I do not see any signs that this dagger has ever been apart. It is also interesting to see that the spanner is shaped at a curvature at the top to exactly math that of the bird’s head. Once the spanners have been out it is very difficult to match the original curvature to say nothing of the enlargement of the holes which more or less has to happen because of the spanner wrench needed to accomplish the loosening. The reason the spanner can not be put back in the same position is usually because the blade will be loose. This is the problem with taking these daggers apart, or for that matter any dagger as over the years the wood bases or celluloid materials tend to shrink and the result is always a certain looseness that can never be offset when the dagger is reassembled. This is just my opinion but if you know the dagger is good what is the point of taking it apart? Certainly many a naval dagger has wound up with a loose pommel simply because a new owner could not stand to see whatever it was he was looking for inside. This never makes sense. The scabbard of this example is a fine Alcoso that has all of its silvering and is deeply patinated matching the hilt. The scabbard is still crisp throughout its pebbled designs. The edges show a couple of tiny lifts underneath the surfaces but there is no silvering gone or any problems that are likely to occur. The scabbard is completely straight except for the tiniest little “pinch” just about an inch upward from the chape end. The dent does not really show though unless you examine the dagger from the side. The carrying bands feature the dual overlapping oak leaves with acorns mixed in. These oak leaves show almost no wear at all and are the type that rise towards the eyelets. The eyelets are of course the type with small sleeves to aid in the wear against the rings and they each have triple serrated edges which also are still crisp. The throat is retained by two flatter head Alcoso side screws and they are the type that are of small bore. The blade of this example is the best you will see. It is completely mirror bright and retains its needlelike tip. 100% of the crossgraining is still there and this blade easily grades in mint condition. The reverse ricasso is etched with the trademark used from 1937 through 1939. It portrays the scales in a perpendicular position on the blade and the firm’s initials “ACS” are interspersed within. Atop the scales is the block lettered arch shaped name of the firm, “Alcoso”. Below is the block lettered location city, “Solingen”. The original blue leather blade buffer is in place. A fantastic untouched government official here. If you are going to take this dagger apart I would prefer that you would not buy it and look for one that already has the spanner holes burred. If for any reason the numbers do not match I would be glad to take the dagger back at any time.Near Mint. $6,495.00(#072610)
GODO #29702C Government Official's Dagger - Carl Eickhorn
This Government Official dagger is in top condition throughout. It is an early made example and we can tell this by the fact that it has two side headless screws instead of the one center screw located in the reverse used later on. At any rate this is a very fine looking government official’s dagger. As most collectors know, the Carl Eickhorn firm did not produce a diplomatic dagger but used the government official for both purposes. So, you may think you have a government official’s dagger because both of the eagle’s heads point in the same direction but very likely it could be a diplomatic example also. The pommel which is the form of a very noble eagle’s head looks to the left. The beak of this example has good crisp edges and the brow nicely shades the eye. The reverse of the bird’s head is still nice and crisp cantilevering over the back strap. There are no hits to any of these areas which is a good sign that this dagger has not been carried much. The spanner nut has been out a few times but the holes are not gouged or open larger than they should be. The edges of the eagle’s head have good treatment to the feathered portions and the borders of the back strap have the hand done engraved highlight line which runs down to about the center of the back strap. The front side plate is in good condition having all of its original plating just like the rest of these hilt fittings. The ferrule is the typical Eickhorn type with the twin lines cast into the product. The crossguard has the very dramatic upward pointing wing tips. The bird itself has fantastic detail to his left looking head, beak, breast, wing feathering, talons, wreath and raised mobile swastika in the center. The original factory blackening in the shaded areas appears to be mostly all there. The grip plates are the artificial mother-of-pearl created by putting a swirl design into celluloid. The celluloid is in perfect condition and reflects outstanding trimming and fitting by the original craftsman. This is a very beautiful hilt and reflects the quality we expect to see in an Eickhorn piece. We did take a look inside of this piece and it is numbered “45”. This number is stamped into the front strap, the back strap, the wood of the grip, the crossguard and the tang. The scabbard is a choice example being completely straight and having 100% of the original silvering. There is no lifting or any problems on this scabbard. The bands are the overlapping oak leaf and acorn type. They come into the eyelets which are the triple serrated type. The lower eyelets shows a little bit of modest wear while the upper one is still crisp. The throat is the thicker variety used by this producer and as mentioned earlier it is retained by two headless side screws. The blade is nice and bright throughout having most of its original crossgraining. There are a couple of extremely minor light smudges in the blade surface but they are not anything that is really noticeable and although they take away from a full mint rating this blade still grades in near mint. The tip has the needlelike point and the reverse ricasso is darkly etched with the seated squirrel trademark used from 1935 to 1941. The original brown leather blade buffer is in place. If you are looking for a good textbook all the way Eickhorn government official dagger this one should fill your bill. A very fine example.Near Mint. $7,495.00
GODO #30467C Diplomatic Official's Dagger - Alcoso
This Diplomatic Official’s dagger is in wonderful condition having not been cleaned in many years. It retains a uniform near black patination throughout. The dagger is also very crisp indicating little usage. The pommel is extremely beautiful having the eagle’s head which faces to the viewer’s left. The bird’s beak is very sharp throughout. The brow nicely overlaps the eye. The cantilever on the reverse of the bird’s head is completely crisp with no hits whatsoever. The feathering running down both of the sides of the bird’s head is also extremely crisp. The back strap has the hand cut accent line which runs around the border. It is interesting to study this as the viewer can see where the engraver stopped and started again in a couple of places. This accent line was not part of the mold and had to be done completely by hand. The back strap is nice and smooth and really mint. The front strap is a brass type instead of the usual steel variety we see on Alcosos thus it has kept its good plated surfaces but it has not toned as deep as the other fittings. The ferrule below has the cut in twin accent lines and it is interesting to see where the silver toning is slightly lighter where the lines where cut into the surface. The crossguard eagle is the best you will see. The diplomatic eagles done by Alcoso are much better than the government official eagles. They also reflect a larger wreath around the swastika which makes a big difference in the shape of this symbol. On this example the upturned wings are extremely nice and the open-winged bird has full details throughout his head, beak, feathering, talons, wreath and the raised swastika in the center. This mobile swastika is extremely crisp. A very fine hilt here. The grip plates are also beauties being celluloid and having mother of pearl type swirl texture in the finish. These plates are professionally shaped and installed and could not be nicer. The consigner of this piece has put a tag on the dagger stating that the piece was taken apart 13 November 2004 and it is numbered inside “60”. Looking at the spanner we can see that this piece has been taken down once or twice but the holes are still in good condition and it is not buggered up like many of the Alcosos will be. The scabbard exactly matches the patination and crispness of the hilt. This scabbard is as straight as an arrow, has 100% silvering and the pebbled pattern is so crisp you could file your nails on it. The bands are the textbook Alcoso type featuring overlapping oak leaves and acorns. They flow into triple serrated eyelets which are also still crisp having the small sleeve at the hole area so that the carrying rings would not wear as much. The thinner throat is retained by two unturned flatter head style side screws which are the small bore variety used by Alcoso. You will not see a finer scabbard. The blade of this example is also in choice condition. It is completely bright and has its needlelike tip with 100% of the original crossgraining. This mint blade is etched on the reverse with the scales logo having the firm’s initials interspersed, “ACS”. Atop the scales in an arch shape is block lettered, “Alcoso”. Below in a straight line is the town name, “Solingen”. The original dark blue leather blade washer is in place but it does show some tattering to the upper edges. Nevertheless it has done a great job protecting this beautiful blade. This is a first rate diplomatic official’s dagger. I will put this one up with any others out there as far as condition and authenticity. A real beauty here which should make for a good investment.Mint Minus. $11,995.00