Kriegsmarine Transitional Dagger? Ivory Grip-Damast Blade

[collecting]

... I'm wondering if it 'in hand' might look like engraving versus etched. FP

... interesting question, indeed.
But would it answer the question? Why such an effort if a stamp is at hand?

[Bulldog]

I agree Fred it is hard to see exactly how it has been applied, but whatever way it has been done it is not the normal WKC maker mark that we usually see with the initials underneath.

Russ.

[thebig]

i would want to see the tang just to be sure.

Russ.

Me too.
Best,
Oleg.

[Ron Weinand]

It is stamped, not etched.

[Gozzy90]

It is stamped, not etched.

Agreed. No problems here for me.

[GaryMJ]

The subject dagger maker mark is not stamped, likely etched as already mentioned by Fred & Russ, possibly engraved given the layering of the serifs. The example shown by "collecting" is stamped.

[collecting]

... they do nice things today ...

[collecting]

...

[collecting]

... and many are in lack of a maker mark, even the easy to spot pieces:

https://www.reddickmilitaria.com/naz...smarine-blade/

[Billy G]

I agree that the damast blade doesn't exactly look like much of the modern stuff we see but I don't like the maker mark. The lines are thick and not nearly as fine as I'm used to seeing. There's also a larger space between the "W" and the "K", just a bit too imprecise, particularly if this was indeed a stamp.

[Frogprince]

I agree that the damast blade doesn't exactly look like much of the modern stuff we see but I don't like the maker mark. The lines are thick and not nearly as fine as I'm used to seeing. There's also a larger space between the "W" and the "K", just a bit too imprecise, particularly if this was indeed a stamp.

Stampings create the marking by pushing metal out of the way, and if not ground/polished leave a ridge at the edges. A broken/damaged stamp will leave metal inside the marking because there was nothing there to displace the metal, not outside. Some years back in the "Hühnlein NSKK High Leader" dagger discussions the "Hühnlein" signature on the original period Damascus blades (that very often had been re-etched which obscured the postwar engraving) became one of the multiple focal points. Years later some very high resolution images showed that the imperfections were the result of multiple engraving passes that basically sculpted the marking that accounted the variations in width and unevenness. FP

[BobI]

Actually, looking closer that does appear to be an acid etched maker mark. If that is the case I do have concerns about this blade. In that case I would consider looking at the tang and am leaning to this being a post war blade.
Bob