Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask whether you guys could help me evaluate / price a HJ dagger M7/11 1936 K & Co Solingen.
The dagger was found by a friend of mine among her fathers possessions after he recently passed away. He lived in South America but was not of German origin. The origin of the dagger past that point of ownership is unknown. She does not feel very comfortable with the idea of owning a HJ dagger and wants to eventually sell it and asked me to verify whether it was authentic and how much it would likely sell for.
Since I am a novice when it comes to HJ daggers, I would like to enlist your help in the evaluation. I've read up on the basics elements of a fake and I am somewhat confident that, at least parts of the dagger, are original.
I have posted some pictures below.
Here is my opinion and some details on the dagger that are not easily visible from the pictures:
1) The scabbard seems to be original. The leather hanger looks and smells old and used, the scabbard itself contains a liner and the rivet seems authentic as well. Furthermore there is no "lip" on the scabbard.
2) The hilt is rather shiny and doesn't show much wear and tear. It shows some streaks on the side but overall does not seem as used as I would have expected it to be.
3) The grip is somewhat problematic. On closer inspection I discovered that the half of the grip that doesn't contain the diamond is cracked and badly glued together. After some handling it has come apart and the half of the grip can now be removed easily. The grip must have previously been disassembled or is of inferior (fake?) quality.
4) The diamond on the other side seems authentic. It has the fish skin on the red part, the enamel on top of it is in excellent shape. All indicators I have found listed for the diamond seem to confirm its authenticity. However, around the rim of the diamond I can see faint traces of glue. It seems as though the diamond was glued in place at some stage.
5) The ricasso and the makers mark looks authentic to me, however I am hardly an expert. It seems to match the descriptions I have found in HJ maker marks database.
6) The blade is one of the very confusing elements. There is definitely some wear and tear, including what seems like mild corrosion near the ricasso. The blade has been sharpened at some stage as part of the motto is illegible due to the scratches (not significant amounts but the "Blu" and the "re!" have suffered a little.) What really struck me however is how shiny the blade is, I wonder whether that is an indicator of a forgery, a testament to the care of it's previous owners or a sign that some buffon decided to have it shined?
Those are pretty much my novice observations. I have enclosed some screenshots below, if you need additional screenshots of certain elements, please let me know. The dagger is currently in my possession and I can try to take more detailed shots.
Thank you for your help.
Best,
foundadagger
I wanted to ask whether you guys could help me evaluate / price a HJ dagger M7/11 1936 K & Co Solingen.
The dagger was found by a friend of mine among her fathers possessions after he recently passed away. He lived in South America but was not of German origin. The origin of the dagger past that point of ownership is unknown. She does not feel very comfortable with the idea of owning a HJ dagger and wants to eventually sell it and asked me to verify whether it was authentic and how much it would likely sell for.
Since I am a novice when it comes to HJ daggers, I would like to enlist your help in the evaluation. I've read up on the basics elements of a fake and I am somewhat confident that, at least parts of the dagger, are original.
I have posted some pictures below.
Here is my opinion and some details on the dagger that are not easily visible from the pictures:
1) The scabbard seems to be original. The leather hanger looks and smells old and used, the scabbard itself contains a liner and the rivet seems authentic as well. Furthermore there is no "lip" on the scabbard.
2) The hilt is rather shiny and doesn't show much wear and tear. It shows some streaks on the side but overall does not seem as used as I would have expected it to be.
3) The grip is somewhat problematic. On closer inspection I discovered that the half of the grip that doesn't contain the diamond is cracked and badly glued together. After some handling it has come apart and the half of the grip can now be removed easily. The grip must have previously been disassembled or is of inferior (fake?) quality.
4) The diamond on the other side seems authentic. It has the fish skin on the red part, the enamel on top of it is in excellent shape. All indicators I have found listed for the diamond seem to confirm its authenticity. However, around the rim of the diamond I can see faint traces of glue. It seems as though the diamond was glued in place at some stage.
5) The ricasso and the makers mark looks authentic to me, however I am hardly an expert. It seems to match the descriptions I have found in HJ maker marks database.
6) The blade is one of the very confusing elements. There is definitely some wear and tear, including what seems like mild corrosion near the ricasso. The blade has been sharpened at some stage as part of the motto is illegible due to the scratches (not significant amounts but the "Blu" and the "re!" have suffered a little.) What really struck me however is how shiny the blade is, I wonder whether that is an indicator of a forgery, a testament to the care of it's previous owners or a sign that some buffon decided to have it shined?
Those are pretty much my novice observations. I have enclosed some screenshots below, if you need additional screenshots of certain elements, please let me know. The dagger is currently in my possession and I can try to take more detailed shots.
Thank you for your help.
Best,
foundadagger
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