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.

Site Search by PicoSearch. Help

1.  GODO #33334 Eastern People’s Gold Government Official's Dagger – Carl Eickhorn

   The Eastern People’s Dagger is merely a gilded Eickhorn Government Official's Dagger. These daggers were used to outfit the eastern people’s groups whose task was to make “Lebenschraum” or move in Germans to the new captured territories. Since this organization was formed and activated late in 1940 it was a bad time to come out with an entire new model dagger for them to wear so it was expedient for Carl Eickhorn to “spruce up” an existing model. This was done by gilding the standard Eickhorn government official which also served as their diplomatic dagger. As most collectors know, there is no such animal as an Eickhorn diplomat as they use the government official dagger for both services. This example has good gilded finish throughout the hilt. It shows some age here and there but overall I would say the gilding appears to be about 85% to me. The details throughout are outstanding. There are no hits to the sharp edge around the eagle’s head / pommel top. The spanner is flush set with the pommel and does not appear to have ever been taken out. The eagle’s head is in choice condition with good sharp crisp edges to the bird’s brow and the series of feathered segments which run down the edges of both sides of the pommel. The beak also is nice and square with still fairly crisp edges throughout. The backstrap and the borders of the lower pommel have the hand and accent lines running throughout. It is interesting to note that the engraver missed a spot on the reverse edge. The side cover plate is also in good condition with the same amount of gilded finish. The ferrule below matches nicely and has the built-in dual decorative horizontal lines. The Eickhorn crossguard features the high tipped quillon wings. The bird has outstanding detail with his head facing to the left, the same as the pommel top. This bird has excellent detail to his eyes, beak, accent breast lines, talons, wreath and raised mobile swastika. The wreath has the hand enhanced bands on the three quadrants that show. A great looking crossguard here! The grip plates are the simulated mother of pearl celluloid. They have lots of very interesting swirls and twirls which run through their surfaces. These grip plates have been cut and hand fit by a true master. They are both in perfect condition. The scabbard is nice and straight throughout. The panels have very crisp pebbling throughout. The bands are the oak leaf and acorn style which point toward the triple serrated eyelets. The detail is still all there to these bands and eyelets. The thicker style throat is the typical Eickhorn type being retained by a flatter head screw in the reverse center. The blade of this example is nice and bright throughout having all of its original crossgraining and needlelike tip. There are a couple of extremely minor smudges noticeable only here and there. This blade still grades in a near mint state. The reverse ricasso is dark etched with the 1935 through 41 squirrel logo. The squirrel is seated holding a downward pointing sword. Above the animal is the word, “original” and below the firm name and location, “Eickhorn Solingen”. The original brown leather washer is in place. This dagger does not appear to me to have ever been apart. I recently acquired it from a veteran family. The women I purchased it from did not know where it came from but said that it had been knocking around in a box and seemed liked it was too good to throw out! Fortunately she called me and we were able to accomplish a transaction which worked out well for the both of us. This is a great opportunity to acquire a gold government official that has never been apart and has never been in a collection. A nice dagger here!

   Excellent Plus, Plus. $15,995.00

2.  GODO #33548 Uncleaned Diplomatic Official's Dagger – Alcoso

   This Alcoso Diplomatic Official's Dagger is a lucky dog to have made it through these seventy years and now hopefully into a collection. I acquired this piece about four years ago with no scabbard and a terrible rusty Alcoso blade. I have been looking for a proper Alcoso scabbard for all of this time and finally through a lucky break an Alcoso army dagger showed up at a German show with a proper Alcoso diplomatic scabbard. I was notified of this and fortunately was able to purchase this scabbard. It is always fun to be able to find parts missing from a rare piece. If this has ever happened with you, you know the great pleasure that getting something together again can bring. We changed the rusted blade to a period Alcoso example fitted properly and are selling the dagger with the original blade so there is no faux pas committed here. The dagger has never been cleaned and is still in its natural state. The entire hilt is completely patinated. We were very lucky in that the spanner nut was still loose so there was no buggering to the holes when we made the blade change. The pommel of this example of course portrays a noble eagle looking to the viewer’s left. The sharp edge around the back of the head has one hit but it is not too bad. The beak at the front is not as crisp as when it was new but this does not look bad either. The brow over the bird’s eye is still good on both sides and the feather segments that go downward on either side are also still crisp. The back hilt and the borders of the front hilt areas have the hand engraved accent line. The cover plate on the left side is a brass one so we are lucky, it still has all of the silvering. The ferrule below has the usual cut in accent lines and is in good condition. The beautiful diplomatic crossguard has the raised quillons at the end of the bird’s wings and the bird’s head of course looks opposite the pommel head. This bird is looking to the viewer’s right. There is a little bit of “tap, tap” damage on the bird’s breast but other than that the details are nice and clear throughout the wing spread, head, talons, wreath and raised swastika. I may not have mentioned it previously but the silvering appears to all be here at 100%. If the next owner elects to clean this piece it probably would come up quite nicely. When we had the dagger apart of course, we looked at the number. The numbers inside are all matching being number, “102”. The Alcoso scabbard that we have discovered is a very choice example. It is nice and straight throughout and still has good crisp pebbling. Fortunately it is still fairly dark with patina so the two pieces make up nicely together. This fine scabbard has the raised oak leaf and acorn motif which run upward towards the triple serrated eyelets. These eyelets have the sleeve on both of the edges where the ring goes through. This is a typical Alcoso part. The throat is a slightly thin type and it is retained by two Alcoso small bore flatter head side screws. The silvering also is in totally perfect condition on this scabbard with absolutely no lifting. The blade that we put into this piece is a good Alcoso example still being nice and bright and having 100% of the graining throughout with needlelike tip. Other than in and out marks and just some very slight signs of age this blade is in near full mint condition. The reverse ricasso is etched with the scales trademark having the firm’s initials, “ACS” interspersed. Above the scales is the firm’s name written in script, “Alcoso” and below the scales is the location city of “Solingen”. This trademark was used during 1940. There was no washer with the dagger when it was acquired so we used the brown leather washer that was with this blade. This is a nice diplomatic dagger here that admittedly has had some restoration work but it is 100% original and is priced accordingly.

   Excellent Plus. $12,995.00

3. GODO #33295 Government Official's Dagger – Carl Eickhorn

   This beautiful Government Official’s Dagger has outstanding silvering throughout the hilt and a most dramatic look throughout. The rim around the eagle’s head is perfect with no hits anywhere. The brow, eye and beak area also are extremely crisp. The same is true of the feathering that runs downward on the birds head on both sides. The hand applied decorative line that runs around the lower border of the pommel and backstrap is extremely well done. The spanner appears to have been out a few times but the two holes are not gouged. I am not going to take this piece apart as there is no need for it and I don’t want to risk further damage to the holes. The lower ferrule is a typical Eickhorn type having the two built in decorative ring grooves. The original factory darkening is still in the backgrounds. The crossguard is the outstanding Eickhorn type having the two high rise peaks on the wings. The bird in the center has full detail to his eye, beak and accent grooves on either side of his breast. The legs and talons are also extremely well done with fine enhancing. The feathering to the open wings is all there and has the contrasting darkening in the backgrounds. The Eickhorn crossguard has a much larger wreath and swastika then we see on the Alcoso brand. This wreath has nice detail to the oak leaves and also to the ribbons at the three o’clock, six o’clock and nine o’clock areas. The vaulted swastika within has all of the blackening in the background adding nice contrast to this image. The part though, that really sets this piece off is the obverse grip plate. This grip plate has the swirls in the center areas and the color is darker than I have ever seen. This plate has toned so dark that it is almost red. It provides one of the most outstanding views you will experience with a government official’s dagger. This piece has to make a great display with other daggers on a fine wall cabinet. The reverse grip plate has also turned extremely dark. Unfortunately it has a problem at the lower area where it appears to have had a chip out of the outside border area and a replacement piece has either been inserted or it is the original piece blended in slightly. There is also a crack that runs across the lower segment portion of the grip but this is still in good condition. It is a shame that this has happened but on the other hand the dagger is normally exposed from the obverse so it definitely could have been worse. A most beautiful hilt here none-the-less. The scabbard is the standard Eickhorn type. It is nice and straight throughout and has full silvering with no lifting anywhere. The pebble patterns are still quite crisp throughout. The bands are the overlapping oak leaf type which run toward the eyelets. These bands contain acorns in the mix. The eyelets are the triple serrated type showing some modest wear but the serrations are still all there. The throat is the thicker type that we see with this maker and it is retained by a standard Eickhorn flatter head style screw placed in the center reverse. The blade of this example is still nice and bright throughout. It also has most of its original graining in the surfaces and ends in a needlelike tip. There is only the most modest of age on this blade which is only slightly noticeable toward the lower areas of both sides. The upper area is still mostly clean. This blade overall grades from excellent plus, plus to near mint. The reverse is very dark etched with the 1935 through 41 squirrel trademark. The animal is seated looking to the left and retaining a downward pointing sword. Above the squirrel is the word, “original” and below is the name and location of the factory, “Eickhorn Solingen”. The original brown leather washer is in place. This is truly a wonderful dagger and would be a great highlight for most collections. Because of the cracks and repair to the reverse grip however it is bargain priced. Were it not for this flaw the dagger would probably sell for substantially more money. A real beauty here and a dagger with all the looks that should get your heart beating.

   Excellent Plus. $6,995.00

4. GODO #33288C Government Official's Dagger – Carl Eickhorn

   This Government Official's Dagger is in exceptional condition throughout. It appears to be an early example judging by the fact that it has the two flathead side screws at the scabbard. (The later examples have the center placed reverse screw.) The hilt of this example is very crisp throughout. The sharp line that runs around the rear of the eagle’s pommel head is absolutely crisp. The brow, eyes and beak structure are also still crisp indicating little usage. The feathering that runs down both sides of the pommel head is deep with the original factory patina in the recesses. The spanner at the top has been out a couple of times and the holes show minor opening signs but not bad with no gouges or slippage. The ferrule is a fine example having the twin decorative lines which are part of the casting on this producer’s product. The crossguard has the usual dramatic look to the flared up ends of the wing tips. The bird still has some detail to his eye and beak with good deep accent lines on his breast area. The talons show hand enhancing as does the leaves which form the large style oak wreath. The wreath has the three ribbons on the three o’clock, six o’clock and nine o’clock quadrant. The mobile style swastika is raised out with good factory darkening in the background highlighting the symbol. The grip plates are the simulated mother of pearl type having very pronounced swirls on both sides. These grip plates are in excellent condition throughout and are fitted nicely. The side plate is non-magnetic and also has full silvering. The original small cord and small ball portepee is in place. It is wrapped about the ferrule area having about three turns where it comes out to a cord which has just a slight amount of fraying. The stem and slide are in good condition showing some mild wear to the “V” style accent parts. The lower ball is in perfect condition throughout with its aluminum yarn-like bullion. An extremely fine hilt here. The scabbard is also a beauty having still crisp pebbling to all of the panels. The silvering is also 100% throughout this shell. The bands are the overlapping oak leaf type with acorn mix. They flow upward toward the eyelets. The eyelets have triple serrations showing only the most modest of wear. The throat is a thicker type and as mentioned above, it has headless flush mount side screws. The blade of this example is a real “killer”. This blade is in mirror bright condition having all of its crossgraining. The tip is needlelike. This blade is easily in full mint condition. The reverse ricasso is dark etched with the 1935-41 logo. It presents a squirrel looking to the viewer’s left and holding a downward pointing sword. Above the rodent is the word, “original”. Below is the firm’s name and location, “Eickhorn Solingen”. The original brown washer is in place. This is an extremely nice government official’s dagger. If you are looking for one that there should be no need to upgrade this one should fill the bill. An outstanding dagger here!

   Near Mint. $8,995.00

5. GODO #32921C Government Official's Dagger - Alcoso

   This Government Official's Dagger still appears to have all of its silver plating intact throughout the hilt area. It reflects a very desirable patination throughout, and does not appear to have been cleaned in many years. The pommel/bird’s head is positioned looking to the viewer’s left. The brow area is still crisp, as is the eye beneath. The beak area also is crisper than most, as this is the first area to wear because it experiences hand holding by the carrier. The bird also has fine simulated feathering running down both sides of his head, and the decorative border line that goes around the edge of the upper portion of the hilt is nicely done. These engravings were all done by hand on these pieces. The front face plate has all of its silvering and, as I suspected, it is non-magnetic, an indication it is either brass or nickel which did retain the silvering much better than the steel produced pieces. This is usually an indication of an earlier example. The ferrule below also has nice patination and reflects hand cut dual decorative lines which run horizontal near the edges of the piece. The crossguard below has the nice turned up ends to the bird’s wings. The bird itself has good wingspread with detail being better than most of the Alcoso varieties. The bird’s head has full detail hand done to the eye and the beak, and the same is true of the breast area and talons. The wreath has fairly good detail also showing handwork, and the raised swastika in the center has fairly crisp treatment to each of its legs. As most seasoned collectors know, Alcoso would not win any prizes for the detail on these eagle crossguards, however, they are what they are! The grip plates of this example have turned a nice golden hue, having attractive swirls and twirls in their pseudo mother-of-pearl substance. The grip plates also reflect very fine hand done cutting and shaping. The obverse grip plate is perfect throughout, whereas the reverse plate has a small arch shaped cracked in the center area. This hairline does not appear threatening in any way, and in some manner gives character to the dagger. The spanner on top is still in choice condition and looking at it, it does not appear to have been turned outward, as the holes are still relatively fresh. I am positive that this dagger will be numbered inside, and that the numbers will match. If the ultimate purchaser wants to take it apart to verify this, please be my guest, but I do not wish to disassemble this dagger, as I would rather have the unmolested spanner and assume the numbers are there. The scabbard of this example is nice and straight. It is interesting to note that the bands are just slightly different from the Alcoso type, and also the throat is retained by headless side screws. Alcoso – when they did use side screws – used the type with heads. I believe that this scabbard may not have been produced by Alcoso, but nonetheless, it is an original period made scabbard and judging by the matching patination, has always been with this dagger. The pebble panels show some modest wear to the surfaces, but not bad. The bands feature the overlapping oak leaves and acorns that point upward towards the eyelets. These eyelets are engraved with triple lines, but they do not have a serrated surface and do not appear to have ever had this feature. The rings are the standard steel type, also having fine matching patination. The blade of this example is nice and bright throughout, having a mirror finish and needle-like tip. The blade shows a little bit of in-and-out wear and just the slightest traces of some modest age. It still, though, grades in nearly full mint condition. All of the crossgraining is in the surfaces and it really looks nice with its bright brightness flashing in your eyes as it comes out of the patinated scabbard. The blade is etched on the reverse with the early Alcoso trademark. It features the scales having the firm’s initials interspersed, “ACS”. Atop the scales, in an arch shape, is the firm’s name written in capital letters, “ALCOSO”. Beneath the scales is the location city “Solingen”. This trademark was used from 1937 through 1939. There is also a fine leather blade buffer, which is a deep blue in color. This is a nice Government Official here that may have a mismatched scabbard, but nonetheless period. The piece, though, is priced accordingly.

   Excellent Plus. $4,995.00

6. GODO #32626 Untouched Diplomatic Official - Alcoso

   This Diplomatic Dagger recently comes from a veteran source and it appears to have never been cleaned, nor does it appear to have ever been apart. The top spanner still has two crisp holes that reflect some age residue, but no sign of a tool. The dagger itself has beautiful silvered parts that have patinated to a black color. The pommel eagle head is crisp throughout with good detail to the bird’s brow, eye, beak, and the feathering details that run downward. The reverse of the bird’s head, where it cantilevers over the backstrap, is totally crisp with no hits. The border of the pommel has been line engraved in the usual decorative manner. I believe that this line engraving was done by hand. The backstrap is in fine condition, also with all silvering. The front cover strap, apparently, is a brass base as it is non-magnetic and it, too, has full silvered finish. The ferrule below is in choice condition, having the typical engraved dual decorative lines. These ferrule lines are covered by the existing cord from the original portepee. The cord is still in the original tie but, unfortunately, the small acorn ball is gone to time. Still, though, it is interesting to see the original cord still on this dagger. The grip plates are the simulated mother-of-pearl, which is a celluloid base. The swirls and twirls in the designs are very beautiful and are unique to each dagger. These grip plates were hand fit by a master, and really look outstanding. They have toned to a deep greenish-gold color with lighter areas where the swirls come into play. The crossguard is an outstanding example. The Diplomatic crossguards by Alcoso are much better cast than the counterpart Government Official crossguard. This guard is totally black with patination nicely matching the rest of the hilt. It features an open-winged eagle with the upturned quillon ends. The bird faces to the viewer’s right, which is opposite that of the pommel. The detail is still there to the bird’s eye, beak, breast lines, wing lines, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and raised out swastika in the center. The Diplomatic wreath is also larger than the Government Official counterpart. A very beautiful crossguard here! In fact, the entire hilt is quite striking! The scabbard of this example is a traditional variety. The Alcoso scabbard was the same on both the Government Official and the Diplomat. This scabbard is toned with a patina which exactly matches that of the hilt. The scabbard has excellent pebbled panels on both surfaces. The carrying bands are also quite exquisite, simulating overlapping oak leaves with acorns. The detail is all there with no wear at all. The Alcoso carrying bands have leaves which point upward toward the eyelet. The eyelets are triple serrated type, and they also have the small sleeve which flares out to accommodate the carrying ring. The purpose of this was to eliminate undue wear to the eyelet. It is also interesting to note that the scabbard rings on this example are smaller than they usually are. I don’t know why this is, but it certainly is nothing that is out of order. This scabbard is straight throughout and has no lifting anywhere of the original silver plating. The throat is retained by the two flatter head side screws, having the small bore indicative of Alcoso. A nice scabbard here. The blade of this example is also a beauty. It retains its needle-like tip and all of the crossgraining is still visible. There are only the most modest signs of any age. Overall, though, the blade easily grades in a near mint condition. The reverse ricasso is etched with the scales trademark. The firm’s initials, “ACS”, are interspersed. Above the scales, in an arch shape, are block letters with the firm’s name, “Alcoso”. Below, in block letters, is the location city of “Solingen”. The washer on this example has gone to time. Usually, these Diplomatic daggers would be equipped with either a blue felt or a blue leather washer. In order to replace the washer, though, the dagger has to be taken down. Since this piece has never been apart, I felt it would be better to just leave washer in abeyance until sometime in the future when another collector decides he would like to finish off the piece and take it apart. So, this is a very fine original Diplomatic dagger that has never been in a collection, has never been apart, and has never been cleaned. If you are the type of collector that really enjoys a virgin piece like this, this dagger is for you. A real beauty here and an absolute original example.

   Near Mint. $13,995.00

7. GODO #31703C Government Official's Dagger - Alcoso

   This Government Official's Dagger has excellent crisp hilt fittings throughout. The eagle head has no wearing, hits or damage to the beak or rim that runs around the reverse of the head. The eye, the brow and feathering are also extremely crisp. The spanner at the top of the eagle’s head has the usual two holes and I can see where it has been out once or twice but we have not taken this dagger apart. The upper hilt area along the edge where it meets the grip plates has a fine hand-done scribed line decoration. The back strap area is nice and smooth and the front cover plate is in excellent condition, having full silver plating. The ferrule is the typical Alcoso type, having decorative twin lines cut into its surfaces. The grip plates have a fine swirl in their golden surfaces. They are in absolute perfect condition and are splendidly fit throughout. This is an early example and the hilt parts are extremely well done. The cross guard is also a fine cast. The details to the eagle’s head which looks to the left are outstanding, showing the eye and beak. The open wings also have very fine detail, as do the talons, wreath and raised swastika in the center. There is evidence where the wreath has been factory enhanced. All of the silvering is intact throughout this hilt, something rare to see on most Alcoso government official daggers. The scabbard is also nice and straight. It has excellent pebbling to the panels, showing some hand wear to the surfaces but there are no wear spots. The two carrying bands feature the overlapping oak leaf and acorn motif. As is the case with this producer, the oak leaves are running upward toward the eyelets. The eyelets have the triple serrated surfaces which are still crisp. These eyelets also have the built-in sleeve which helps with the wear from the carrying rings. The throat is a thicker style and it is retained with typical flatter head style side screws which will be the small bore type which Alcoso used. The blade is also a fine example. It is still nice and bright and has most of its original cross graining. The blade has a couple of very hard to see age spots on the reverse side but it does not take away from the looks of this example. There is also a small spot over the trademark name on the last two letters, but again, it is not detractive and let’s face it, these things are some 70 years old. There is also a very minor ripple at the very tip of the blade and it does not show from the front but does a little bit on the reverse. Again though, it should not be a problem. The blade easily grades excellent plus plus. The reverse ricasso is etched with the scales trademark. These scales have the firm’s initials “acs” interspersed. Above the scales, the firm’s name is written in script in an arch, “Alcoso”. Below the scales, the location is in block letters “SOLINGEN”. This trademark stems from about 1940. The original leather blade washer is in place. It has a slight blue tinge which is still left in its color. If you are looking for a good, textbook Alcoso piece, I am sure that you will enjoy adding this dagger to your collection. If you want to take it apart and see the numbers that is fine, as I am sure they are all there and I am sure they match. If they do not, please feel free to return the dagger. A very fine collectible example here.

   Excellent Plus, Plus. $6,695.00

8. GODO #31559 Diplomatic Dagger - Alcoso

   This diplomatic dagger was a recent purchase at the Max show. I purchased it from a Las Vegas pawn shop dealer who was walking around with it as well as two really nice swords. This dagger has never been cleaned and it still has a nice dark patination throughout. The dagger shows some minor usage signs here and there but basically it is still in good crisp condition. The eagle head has a good crisp brow over the eye as well as to the head which cantilevers over the reverse backstrap area. The beak itself is still good and squared at the surface. At the eagle’s head, just over the reverse brow, there is a slight hit where either the dagger bumped into something or it was dropped. It is not bad however. The spanner is in excellent condition meeting flush with the head and only looking to have been out once or twice. We know it was out once as we took a look inside and the numbers throughout this diplomatic piece are “21”. This includes the spanner, backstrap, front plate, grip wood, crossguard and blade tang. The backstrap has the usual hand done border line and decorative point which we see on these pieces. The ferrule has good detail having the two lines cut in separately for decoration. The side plate has most of the original silvering worn from the surfaces. It is however a brass base example. The crossguard is a very beautiful example. The Alcoso diplomatic crossguards are much nicer than those that were produced for the government official. The eagle looks to the viewer’s right opposite from the pommel top. This bird has a great splendor to its outspread wings. The detail is exceptional and the bird’s eye and beak are even discernible. The bird’s legs grasp a fine wreath of oak leaves which presents a raised mobile swastika in the center. The dimensions of the wreath are larger on the diplomatic dagger than they are on the Alcoso government official. Wrapped about the ferrule is an original diplomatic knot. This knot is the traditional small size having narrow cord and stem and slide to match. The ball is about half the size of a normal army dagger ball. This knot shows a little bit of usage and some oxidation but basically it is all there. There is also some fray where the cord comes out of the knot. We can’t be too fussy here though as these knots are extremely difficult to come by. The scabbard is straight throughout. It has good silvering having a little bit of lifting along the scabbard edges but no silvering is gone. The pebble pattern is still quite crisp throughout the panels. The bands are the oak leaf and acorn type with the oak leaves running upward towards the eyelets. These eyelets are the triple serrated type and as is the case with Alcoso they have sleeves to prevent wear in the areas where the rings go through. The throat of this example is retained by two small bore mostly flathead Alcoso screws. The blade of this example is a beauty. It is completely bright throughout and has all of the crossgraining. There are only the slightest signs of any age in the surfaces. This blade still grades at near full mint. It also retains its original needlelike tip. The reverse of the blade is etched with the early trademark. It features a set of scales which has the firm’s initials “ACS” interspersed. Above the scales in an arch shape in block letters is the firm’s name, “Alcoso” and below in a straight line is the location, “Solingen”. This trademark was used from 1937 through 1939. The blade is buffered by a fine dark blue felt washer. A nice diplomatic dagger here which has never been in a collection. A good opportunity to acquire an outstanding original artifact.

   $13,950.00