Description
DAGGER – NAVY – OFFICER REICHSMARINE – WITH INITIAL STAMP.
During and following the Imperial German Period, military officers commonly maintained stamps on their desks that allowed them to imprint their initials and/or cypher on wax seals. Such stamps were generally ornamental in nature. Our offering today is both unique and elegant in that it is modeled on a naval dagger’s pommel, grip, and cross guard. [PLEASE NOTE: it is smaller than an actual dagger in order to take up less desk space].
Its owner clearly was a naval officer(I cannot begin to estimate his rank) who had served in the Kaiserliche Marine either before and/or during WW I, then served in the ReichsMarine after 1919. A ReichsMarine dagger was noted for its black grip rather than the Kaiserliche Marine’s ivory one (signifying mourning for the latter’s passing). Officers could choose to mount either a Kaiserliche Marine’s Kaiser Crown or the ReichsMarine’s “Flaming Ball” as the pommel.
Our offering today features a black, single-wire-wrapped grip. A Kaiser Crown is mounted atop the pommel. [It unscrews just like a full-sized dagger]. NO cross appears at the top, which had been the practice during the Kaiserliche Marine era. Instead, an “X” takes its place.
The stamp’s total height is 4 ½.” It features a brass cross guard that measures ¾” from tip to tip. A circular brass piece that measures 2 ½” in diameter appears at the base. Its initials are “H.F.” [If your initials match this, contact me and I will give you a VERY special price]!
Pieces like this are important decorations on MY desk, which is where this will reside until a new owner acquires it.
