Skip,considering that the ss had black handles,sa brown,and luftwaffe some blue handles, is there any documentation why the army used only yellow,white,and orange celluiloid handles? You would think green would have been the choice.Imagine army daggers with a blood red grip offset with silver! Skippy
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Originally posted by Skippy -
Land Protection Police had green leather grips.
As to Heer grip colors,that is a great question!Some people say that all Heer grips started out white,and then changed color over time.However,that doesn't explain why there were amber colored grips as well,since real amber didn't start out as white.For whatever reason why there are so many colored grips today,I can't say positively,but I'm sure glad they did change colors!Here's a link to 4 of my WKC's.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...id=42627&stc=1Comment
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Skippy,
Great title for a thread...I had to open it immediately to be sure it didn't say "Does Skip Greenwade know his a** from a hole in the ground?" )I was relieved to see that it didn't!)
Re: the Army dagger grip colors, there has been a great deal of debate over why some are white, some orange, some yellow, etc. Rich is right in that the Land Customs dagger does indeed have a green. leather-covered grip.
I'm of the opinion that the grip colors were simply a matter of manufacturers' choice. The majority of them were solid celluloid or a thin shell of celluloid over wood. I think many of the Waffenfabriken purchased their grips from independent suppliers. There may not have been a lot of consideration given to the color as long as it was within the "spectrum" and hence, not a lot of care taken to ensure that every batch of celluloid was exasctly the same shade. The manufacturers probably thought it couldn't hurt to offer something different to suit the diverse tastes of the consumer and used whatever the grip suppliers sent them. I do know that, with the exception of an ivory or simulated ivory grip, the manufacturers did not offer a choice of grip color or material in their catalogs.
That said, I have seen enough evidence to believe that the grips on some Army - and for that matter Navy and 2nd Model Luftwaffe - daggers changed color slightly due to storage conditions and/or exposure to light.
I did once own an Army dagger that did have a deep orange - almost red - grip and you are correct, it was a stunner.
Hope that helps!
SkipComment
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Thanks a million Skipper G
Im glad you said you had a deep almost red Army dagger,because I had one that was a deep ruby red in 77 and every expert back then called it a fake so I sold it and still shake my head when I think about it. Your reputation as a collector of blades should put a damper on the knuckleheads who judge other peoples items incorrectly. If I ever see those experts again Ill have to give them a JUDGE ROY BEAN ( HANG EM ).
SkippyComment
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Red celluoid
I know red celluloid was used in the 30s . I have a beautiful set of tableware that was made by Landers Frary and Clark under the Universal name and the handles are a gorgeous ruby red and a collectors item in themselves. Now I have to search for another red Army so I can sleep again.
skippyComment
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I regret selling my 'red'-gripped Army as well. You'll find another one of these days, as they are definitely out there. It might be a good idea to let your favorite dealer(s) know you're on the hunt.
Along those same lines, I remember good friend and fellow collector Dick VanHeuvelen's RAD leader with the deep orange/almost red grip. He sold it a couple of years ago at a decided premium and I already had a very nice RAD leader, so I let that one get away with some regret.
Happy hunting,
SkipComment
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Here is an Army grip as close to red? actually a burnt orange?Comment
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Garrit,thanks for the picture,it sure is a beauty. dont let that one get away.
SkippyComment
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