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The Red Cross Officer and Social Welfare Patterns were instituted
in 1938. The hilts are produced of a pot metal base, having muted
nickel-plated surfaces. The crossguard features an ovaled medallion
which portrays a Red Cross eagle. The bird is a closed-winged
design, clutching a Red Cross symbol in the talons. A vaulted
swastika is superimposed on the bird's chest. The grip is a celluloid
variety being a yellow color, usually toned to varying orange
shades. The scabbards are steel with matching nickel plating over
pebbled panels. There are two variations. Those with rectangular-shape
eyelets on the carrying bands are Red Cross, while those having
round holes in the eyelets are Social Welfare. Blades are not
found with maker-marks.
RCALL #33574C Red Cross Officer Dagger
This Red Cross Officer Dagger is in fine condition throughout having excellent plating to the hilt mounts. There is only the tiniest of beveling on the reverse crossguard but otherwise the plating is all there. The cover screw at the pommel top has been out a few times but remains tight and the dagger is also nice and tight accordingly. The crossguard features a good raised out half closed-winged eagle which looks to the viewer’s left. The bird has a raised out mobile swastika on his chest and clutches a Geneva cross in his talons. The grip of this example is a very fine dark pumpkin orange. The orange fades slightly to a little lighter tone on the reverse. The reverse however is orange, not yellow. The original-to-the-piece portepee is still in place. This knot is tied in the regulation tie. It is the thicker cord variety and is in good condition except where the knot comes out of the tie. At this area it is frayed. The slide is the style which is built into the stem. Both parts have good “V” weave decoration to the bullion. The ball has good yarn-like bullion and the insert is a textured material. The scabbard is nice and straight with good crisp pebbling. There is only the tiniest signs of a little age on the scabbard but basically the plating is still at 100%. The bands are the style which have sharp ridges. This scabbard is interesting in that it is the style that we see only once in awhile having a dome head screw inserted at the left side of the lower chape area. This screw was employed to hold the leg weight in place at the bottom of the scabbard. It is an interesting variation of Red Cross scabbard and points to one very small maker as we do not see this feature very often. The blade of this example is still bright and has all of the crossgraining in the surfaces. There are some extremely modest signs of age but not enough to keep the blade from still having a mint rating. The ricasso area has the traditional nickel-plated surfaces. The original black leather washer is in place. A nice Red Cross officer’s dagger here.
Excellent. $1,895.00
RCALL #32830 Red Cross Officer Dagger
This Red Cross Officer Dagger has good nickel plating throughout. The plating is in near 100% condition. It is interesting to note that the cover screw at the top pommel does not appear to have ever been taken out and for what it is worth – the grip is still tight! The pommel still has all of the plating around the rim edges. The cross guard is an excellent example with oval langets, the obverse having the half-closed wing eagle which looks to the viewer’s left and has a raised mobile swastika on his breast. This bird clutches a Genova cross in his talons. The grip is an egg-yolk color on the obverse and is slightly lighter to a yellow squash color on the reverse. There are two small hair line cracks at the lower portion of the grip but these are covered by an in-place portepee which appears original to this dagger. The portepee is a 42cm aluminum style. It has a minor fray where it comes out of the knot. The knot is tied in the Red Cross style with a single loop at the top and double loops at the bottom of the grip. Other than this small fray, this knot is in excellent condition. The scabbard is nice and straight and has excellent pebbled surface. It shows only the most modest of age but all plating is still intact throughout. This scabbard has the more rounded style carrying bands. The throat is retained by two dome head screws. The blade of this example is as nice as they come. This blade is in mirror bright, mint condition, still retaining its needlelike point. The blade surface has all of the cross graining and on the ricasso area it retains 100% of the nickel plated surfaces. The black leather blade buffer is in perfect condition. A good Red Cross officer example.
Excellent Plus. $1,795.00(#042613)
RCALL #32461C Red Cross Officer's Dagger with Monogram
This Red Cross Officer's Dagger has fairly good plating throughout the hilt. The plating shows a little patination throughout but would probably clean up to be in choice condition should someone wish to do this. I do not see any wear to the edge areas. The Red Cross langet has a very fine depiction of a raised half closed-winged eagle having a vaulted swastika on his breast. The eagle clutches a red cross in his talons. The reverse oval circle on this hilt has the original owner’s initials nicely cut into the surfaces, “K R”. The workmanship could be professional or it could have been done by the original owner as it is relatively simple and therefore hard to tell. The cover screw on top of the pommel shows that it has been out a few times but it is not in too bad of a condition. The grip of this example is a fine tangerine color and is relatively the same tone throughout. The grip is in perfect condition. The scabbard is straight throughout and is the type that has the slightly curved edges to the bands. There is some minor wear to the plating mostly on the obverse just noticeable around the second band and above in the pebble pattern. There is also a little bit of wear at the lower area. The reverse of the scabbard appears to have perfect plating. The throat of this example is retained by two side mounted dome head screws. The blade is in choice condition. This mint blade has a fine bright surface with all crossgraining intact. The ricasso is the nickel-plated type which contrasts nicely with the polished finish of the blade itself. The original black leather blade buffer is in place. This is a good solid Red Cross officer’s dagger here showing some mild wear and the monogram gives it a little more interest.
Excellent Plus, Plus. $1795.00
RCALL #32120C Red Cross Officer's Dagger
This Red Cross Officer's Dagger is in fine overall condition. The hilt fittings have excellent dull nickel plating. These fittings do not look to have ever been cleaned. The pommel is still nice and crisp throughout its edges and the cover screw appears to have been out maybe once or twice but there is no burring of the grooves. The crossguard is an excellent depiction with its oval disks on each side. The reverse disk is plain and the obverse disk features a half closed-winged eagle clutching a cross in his talons. There is a raised out mobile swastika on the bird’s chest. The grip is a fine deep orange color being just the slightest bit lighter on the reverse. This grip is in perfect condition. The scabbard has good nickel finish throughout. It appears as though this scabbard may have been cleaned not too long ago but in a couple of years it will tone down to exactly match the hilt fittings. The owner of this dagger told me that he cleaned the scabbard but did not clean the hilt parts. If you want the unit to match cleaning the hilt parts would also do the trick otherwise just let it patina for a while. This scabbard is the style that has the more rounded carrying bands. The plating is very good throughout having a little bit of age noticeable on the center obverse panel but it is really nothing. The rest of the pebbling is still nice and crisp and has 100% plating. The throat is retained by two nickel dome head side screws. The blade is nice and bright throughout. It appears to have all of its graining in the surfaces with a needlelike tip. The ricasso has been nickel-plated in the normal way. This blade remains in a mint state having only the normal runner marks on the ricasso area. The blade is unmarked. This blade is protected by an in place black leather buffer. A nice Red Cross dagger here.
Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,895.00
RCALL #31584 Red Cross Enlisted Man's Hewer
The hilt fittings of this example have good nickeling throughout. Even the edges of the pommel and crossguard still have full plating. The crossguard oval depicts a half open-winged eagle, looking to the viewer’s left, having a mobile raised swastika on has breast, and clutching a cross in his talons. Excellent detail here. The reverse grip is smooth type, and the obverse grip has the checkered finish. Both are a bakelite and both are in perfect condition. The two retaining screws are unturned and have grooves, both pointing from east to west. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has excellent original black paint. The paint shows some minor age, but overall it is about 95%. The lower nickel fitting is the pressed on type. The upper throat fitting is retained by two unturned domehead screws. There is a fine black leather frog attached. This frog has the usual 4-rivet construction, and on the reverse it is stamped “39”. This frog is in excellent plus, plus, to near mint condition. The blade of this example is still nice and bright and does have all of its crossgraining. It is equipped with the blunted tip and the sawback spine. This blade is marked on the reverse “Ges.Geschtzt”. The blade has a few mild age signs in the surfaces but it has never been cleaned, and I’m sure with a little work with some semi-chrome, this blade would come up to easily near mint condition. The original black leather blade washer is in place. A pretty nice Red Cross hewer here.
Excellent Plus, Plus. $895.00
RCALL #30818 Social Welfare Officer Dagger
This Social Welfare officer dagger shows a little bit of usage but it is still in nice condition and is very collectible. The nickel-plated mounts are in good condition throughout. The pommel has a couple of mild wearing signs but the plating is still there. The cover nut is in excellent condition only looking to have been out maybe once. The crossguard is a beauty having the plain oval on the reverse and the obverse oval portrays a half closed winged eagle with a vaulted swastika on his chest. The eagle clutches a cross in his talons and the area around the bird is nicely pebbled to give relief. The grip is a nice pumpkin orange color on the obverse being just the slightest tad lighter on the reverse. The original 42 cm aluminum portepee is in place in the Red Cross tie. This knot shows some age and mild usage but it is still in good condition having only a little fray where it crosses the left crossguard quillon end. There are a couple of hairliners that appear at the bottom of this grip but they are mostly covered by the portepee. The scabbard of this example has good crisp pebbling to its panels. The bands have the ramps with round holes instead of the rectangular holes which designate this example as Social Welfare. The throat is retained by two dome head nickel screws. This scabbard shows only the most modest of age. The blade is still nice and bright. This blade appears to have been cleaned up by someone not too long ago. It retains its good graining but does show that there may have been a couple of mild flaws in the surfaces. The job though to clean it up was well done and the blade now easily rates in a near mint state. The ricasso retains its nickel-plated surfaces. The black leather blade buffer is in place. A good example of a difficult dagger to find these days.
Excellent Plus. $2195.00
RCALL #30745C Red Cross Officer Dagger
This Red Cross officer still has a good crisp edge to the pommel top. The plating is in excellent condition showing only the most modest of age. The cover screw has been out a few times and has about 50% of the original nickel plating. The crossguard is in excellent shape having a good plain oval depiction on the reverse and an obverse oval depicting a half closed winged eagle with vaulted mobile swastika on its breast. This bird clutches a cross in its talons. There are a couple of mild freckles on the top of this crossguard but the rest of it is in excellent condition. The grip is in perfect condition being a slightly darker orange on the obverse than on the reverse. The scabbard has good crisp pebbled panels and the bands are the style that have smooth edges. This scabbard has excellent plating showing little age and the throat is retained by two dome head nickel screws. The blade of this example is nice and bright throughout and appears to have most of its original crossgraining. There is one small nick on the lower edge but other than this the blade is in near full mint condition. The ricasso retains its nickel plating. The original black leather blade buffer is in place. A good collectible Red Cross officer here.
Excellent Plus $1795.00
RCALL #30563 Red Cross Officer Dagger
This Red Cross officer is a very fine piece still having original dull nickel finish that these daggers were supposed to portray. The pommel is a fine example having just the slightest wear to the plating on the upper edge but it is nothing. The upper pommel is in choice condition throughout and the cover screw does not look as though it has ever been turned. It is rare to see this on these Red Cross daggers. The crossguard is a fine example with perfect nickeling. The reverse oval is the plain type and the obverse oval contains a closed winged eagle looking to the viewer’s left and having a vaulted mobile swastika on its chest. The bird carries a cross in his talons. The grip of this example is an appealing popsicle orange color. It is even toned throughout and has no chips or any problems. The scabbard is straight throughout. The scabbard bands are the rounded type. The scabbard’s panels are perfect and crisp having nearly 100% plating throughout. The throat is retained by the two domehead style side screws. This piece was made by a rarely seen producer of Red Cross officers. The way this can be known is that this was the single producer who used a screw at the lower left tip which kept the leg weight in place. For those who collect Red Cross “types” this is a very difficult version to find. I have only had two or three of these with the lower screw retainage and I have had many, many Red Cross officer daggers over the years. A pretty neat thing here as we used to wonder why the screw was there. A lot of us thought that maybe it was to let moisture out of the scabbard or some other dumb thing until we finally realized it held the weight in place. The blade of this dagger is nice and bright throughout. It retains its needlelike tip and easily has 100% of the original crossgraining. The ricasso area reflects the shinier nickel-plated finish. The new like black leather washer is in place. A very nice Red Cross officer’s dagger here.
Mint Minus. $2,195.00
RCALL #29356 Red Cross Hewer
This Red Cross Hewer still retains its fine bright nickel fittings. The nickeling appears to be 100% throughout. The pommel has a good crisp edge and there is even lacquer still remaining throughout this fitting. The side straps also have lacquer. The crossguard, also lacquered, depicts an oval in the center with a raised-out half-closed winged eagle. The eagle clutches a cross in its talons, and there is a swastika vaulted out of the chest area of this eagle. The grip plates of this example feature checkered variety on the obverse, and the reverse plate is smooth. These plates are in perfect condition, and are retained by screw and spanner hardware. There is a little rust to the upper screw, and the lower screw is still has all of its plating. These screws do not appear to have been out of this piece. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. Its original period black paint is still mostly bright, but it does have quite a bit of spidering in the surfaces. I would say that the paint, all in all, is about 98%, but would clean up some if someone were to work with it. The nickel scabbard mounts nicely match the condition of the hilt. Both mounts are retained by nickel flathead side screws. There is also a frog attached to the scabbard. This black frog is in good condition, showing some mild usage, and being constructed with aluminum rivets. The lower right rivet has gone to time, but the other three are in place. This Red Cross frog is not marked on the reverse. The blade of this example is as nice as you will ever see. It is completely bright throughout and has 100% of the factory crossgraining. The tip is blunted to conform with the Geneva Convention, and the spine has an extremely sharp sawback, which was a simulation of cutting a splint in the field. It only strikes me funny as to the blunted tip being acceptable, but nobody seemed to notice the deadliness of this sawback, which could cut your head off with one stroke. At any rate, a beautiful blade here, which is protected by a new-like tan leather buffer. The ricasso on the reverse is marked, “Ges. Gesch.”. A nice example here.
Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,095.00
RCALL #29506C Red Cross Hewer
This Red Cross Hewer has good plating to the hilt. There is no lifting and the plating only shows the most modest of age. The pommel cap is still fairly crisp around the edges. The crossguard is in good condition, having the obverse oval disk. This oval displays a half-open winged eagle, which looks to the viewer’s left and clutches a cross in his talons. There is a raised-out mobile swastika on the eagles’ breast area. The grip plates are in good condition, being of black bakelite material. The obverse example is checkered, whereas the reverse grip plate is smooth. They are both retained by screw and spanner hardware. The screw heads are rusted, but are both pointing north-to-south. They do not look to have been removed. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. The original paint does have some spidering and also some lifting, with rust evident in the surfaces. This paint rates at about 90%. The scabbard shell has matching nickel mounts. The nickel mounts are retained with unbuggered flathead screws throughout. There is a good black leather frog. The frog shows only mild usage, being 4-rivet construction with all rivets present. This frog is stamped “B” on the reverse. The blade of this example is nice and bright, having the blunted tip and the sharp sawback spine. The blade has most of the original graining still showing, and it easily grades in near full mint condition. The reverse ricasso is stamped “Ges. Gesch.”. The original black leather blade buffer is in position, doing a good job. A good collectable Red Cross hewer here.
Excellent Plus. $895.00 (110409)
RCALL #28169 Red Cross EM Hewer
This Red Cross EM Hewer is really an outstanding example. The hilt retains all of its nickel plating. The pommel edges are still extremely crisp, and even these areas have their plating intact. The cross guard area is in choice condition, featuring a half-closed wing eagle which looks to the viewer’s left and has a cross in his claws. There is a vaulted swastika coming out of the bird’s breast. The reverse area also has all of its plating. There is a minor sign of age here and there in the form of minor cracks in the plating but nothing is missing. The grip plates are the black Bakelite variety, the obverse being crisp and checkered and the reverse being smooth. These plates are retained by nickel plated screws and spanners. The two heads are facing from east to west. The scabbard is a fine, straight shell. The original black paint is amazing, being nearly 100%. This paint also still retains its original luster. It is rare to see a paint that is nice. The lower mount is a nickel plated type being in perfect condition. It is pressed into place being the type without screws. The upper fitting is just a nice, having 100% nickeling and held in place by two dome head side screws. The black frog is a real beauty, being in mint condition. This frog is retained by four aluminum rivets and it is stamped with a “H” on the reverse. The blade of this example is nice and bright throughout and on the obverse would be in mint condition. The reverse has some very minor stains in the surfaces and I am sure that if someone wanted to clean it a little bit, these would come out. In both cases, the cross graining all seems to be there and the sharp sawback edge is crisp and threatening. This fine blade has been protected by the in-place brown leather washer. A very nice Red Cross hewer here.
Mint Minus. $1,295.00
RCALL #28153 Red Cross Hewer
This Red Cross hewer is in good overall condition. The plating is all intact throughout. The pommel is still nice and crisp. There is a little bit of bubbling in the plating surfaces on the obverse but it is nothing and there is no plating missing. A nice looking pommel here! The cross guard is also in good condition, having all plating intact. The obverse features the oval disc having a half-closed winged eagle looking to the viewer’s left with a vaulted mobile swastika on its breast. This bird clutches a cross in its talons. The grip plates of this example are black Bakelite being checkered on the obverse and smooth surfaces on the reverse. Both grip plates are in perfect condition. These plates are retained by screw and spanner hardware. The screw heads are both pointing in the nine o’clock to three o’clock direction. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. It does have a couple of tiny “bb” type dings, but they are pretty shallow and don’t amount to much. The original black paint has a few scratches and some signs of age, but overall, it is about 95% and still retains most of its original brightness. The scabbard shell is complete with a lower fitting which is pressed into place and the upper fitting is retained by dome head side screws. These fittings are in good shape with full plating. The original black leather frog is in place. This frog shows only normal wear and is still in excellent condition. It is a four-rivet type construction and on the reverse it is stamped with the capital letter “H” at the lower area. The blade of this hewer is a sawback variety in fine condition. The reverse of the blade is easily in near full mint condition, having all of the cross graining. The obverse is very near this state, showing only the most modest of age. As is the case with these hewers, the tip is blunted in order to conform with the Geneva Convention. There is no maker mark on this blade, but the reverse ricasso is stamped with the patent pending words “Ges. Gesch.” The black leather washer is in place. A very nice hewer here!
Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,095.00
RCALL #27698 Red Cross EM Hewer
The Red Cross
EM hewer is a fine looking example still having nearly all of
the frosted finish preserved over the fittings. There is a factory
lacquer substance which has coated and protected these fittings.
The pommel is still nice and crisp throughout its flared edges
and the cross guard depictions are also in good condition. The
oval obverse cross guard depicts a half-closed winged eagle which
looks to the viewers left. The bird has a raised out swastika
on his breast and he clutches a cross in his talons. The reverse
oval is plain. In the case of this example, it does appear as
though the original owner may have scratched his initials into
the center area. It looks like it could be we but
I cant be sure. The grip plates of this example are in good
condition throughout. They are the black Bakelite type. The obverse
is checkered and the reverse is smooth. These plates are retained
with steel screw and spanner hardware. This hardware has a light
coating of rust on its surfaces. The scabbard is straight throughout.
This shell has good, original black paint showing some spidering
in the surfaces, but the paint is still nearly 100%. The lower
scabbard fitting has minor age in the surfaces but it is nothing.
This fitting is retained by two flat head side screws. The throat
is in place and nicely matches the condition of the hilt fittings.
This throat is retained by two flatter head side screws. There
is a black leather frog attached and it is the style which is
retained by four aluminum rivets. I do not see any markings on
the reverse of this frog. The frog shows some mild usage but still
grades at about excellent plus. The blade of this example is a
fine one. It is still nice and bright and has all of its original
graining in the surfaces. The saw back is sharp and threatening.
Other than just a little bit of minor smudge here and there, this
blade is still in near full mint condition. It has been protected
by an in-place brown leather blade buffer. A good Red Cross hewer
here.
Near Mint. $1,195.00
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