Luftwaffe 2nd edition

[John Heltzel]

Need help in identifying this dagger. Blade is marked Soligen 1939, there is a square with B & A over B & A in it. On the back it is marked Germany.

Thanks John

PS I don't know how to post a picture but if you email me at whthousebch@comast.net I can send you one.

[Phil Borchert]

Sorry John, it's post war.

[Santi]

Sorry John, it's post war.

We would make this a better place for collectors if you just take some mins to point out why its a fake piece, and, as he seems to be a new collector, it would be very important for him to learn.

John, it is bad because there wasn't any period made dagger in the Third Reich marked with the word "Germany".
Anything marked with "Germany" is post war.
Sorry

[Ron Weinand]

B & A

B & A was a well known supplier of repro edged weapons in the early 1950s. Ads were run in Argosy and other magazines of the period for these daggers. Usually they were sold without scabbards and the SA Dagger had a plastic grip with original eagles and SA buttons.
NO B & A Trademark was known during the Third Reich.
Ron Weinand

[SwordFish]

Out of curiosity, did you remove the pommel and grip? Curious if this one is stamped "Germany" on the tang below the threads.

[John Heltzel]

Thanks guys. It is coming up at auction and I will let it go. There is a red cross leaders dagger with it that probably comes from the same manufacturer although there are no markings on the blade.

[Daggerob]

Hello John:

Welcome to the forum.
As a new collector you would be well advised to establish a relationship with a reputable dealer.
You'll pay a little more, but the peace of mind you have is well worth it.

Buying through auction is far too risky without a strong knowledge base and plenty of in hand experience with these pieces.
One bad buy can wipe out the benefits of a dozen "bargain" auction purchaces.

Getting burned in an auction drives many new collectors away from this hobby.
Fakes abound, and some of the latest ones can even be troublesome for seasoned collectors.

Here is a link...

http://www.lakesidetrader.com/sa.html

...to a fine tutorial on dagger collecting for beginners.
It is a must read for the new collector.

I hope that this is helpful.
Good luck!

[lakesidetrader]

If I recall correctly they are stamped "Germany" on the blade just below the maker mark next to the lower crossguard. They are post-war and the last few years have come into their own. Like the B+A SA's they were made in Germany with some pre-1945 components following the war for returning Vet's as souvieniers. Certainly not the quality of pre-'45 pieces but interesting in their own right. Many returned home with Vets, trouble is often times they are misrepresented as war time examples. Most of time by people who are just ignorant of their past.