this is a dagger i got from my grandfather long ago,i kind if just kept it in a box .the only markings i see is WMW and under that waffen .any idea if it is real ? or worth anything ? thanks for any help

Yes it's real and it looks to be in pretty nice condition except fot the portapee. (That's the silver tassel thingie). No big deal. WMW is a fairly scarce maker of Heer daggers. If the blade is in good condition with no pits and there are no cracks in the grip it is worth around $400-$650 and up to the right person. That's my opinion. I no longer collect these so you may want the opinion of someone who does.

That was right around my thoughts to.Ballpark 500.00

I'm not really sure how to tell the condition. It looks ok to me, I don't see any pitting. The handle seems a little loose (the eagle wiggles back and forth a little), but I'm not sure if that is normal. More than likely, I will try to sell it on ebay since I am not a collector and someone may want to add it to their collection. Thank you for all your help.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how to clean it up, I would appreciate that as well.

Thanks again.
Walter

Walter,
Do NOT clean it up, you will command a better price if you just leave it as is and let the new owner worry about any grime. From the picture it appears to have a generic type A eagle and overall appears in good condition as it stands. As Skyline pointed out its not an easy maker to find, for more opinions post better pictures in the army / navy section of the site

I'll echo the thought,DO NOT CLEAN IT!!!.The black patina looks very nice and indicates a high silver content.If the patina was spotchy,cleaning it would be O.K.,but I love these dark daggars!

And don't worry about a little crossguard wiggle,you could actually cause the grip to crack by trying to tighten it.

thanks for all your help.i have learned alot already.and i will leave it untouched .

Unless you REALLY need the $$$, concider keeping it, your Granddad gave it to you for free & it does have history for you.It won't have that for anyone one else. S

Really keep it, the money you'll get for it will be gone it a flash!!!! Your memories and if you have nice photos of gramps, they'll last a lifetime and more for your children. Remember , he's lucky he came back, if he didnt you wouldnt be here.!!!!I would never consider selling something my dad brought back, their lifes were on the line and they got to bring back some real trophy's as I like to classify them!!Just my thoughts, Tiep

Seems as if we just appraised this piece for the seller

http://cgi.ebay.com/GERMAN-ARMY-OFFICERS-DAGGER-HARD-TO...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You could see that one coming a mile away!

With helping my better half run 4 websites we probably get 8 to 10 people a day fishing for free appraisals and that gets a little old real quick.

$15.00 shipping? I think that's a bit much.

Mark

Wonder if it'll get reported to Ebay and the auction ended?

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Yankowski:
Wonder if it'll get reported to Ebay and the auction ended?

I was wondering the same thing Rick.

I would never sell off a war relic that my grandfather handed down to me, collector or not.

At least he was up front about it, and he did say thank you.

I guess we should be grateful that he's not parting the thing out. (Thank Goodness)

i`m afraid it`s human nature. for many, history can go swing when there`s filthy lucre involved. still a nice dagger though!.

We have to realize to some this item has no meaning or value.My two sons don't have a care about my collection so when the time comes I'll sell and enjoy the cash and give a little pleasure to a fellow collector.When I moved to Fl. I didn't want to take my two hunting rifles one I sold and the other I gave to a younger friend who didn't have the 150 I asked for it.It gave me more pleasure to see his face light up when I told him it was his.

It would have been nice if nitrostang had originally stated it was going to be for sale,it just seems sort of under-handed doing it the way he/she did.
BUT,if all people kept everything their relatives brought back from a war,most of our collections would be pretty sparce since very few items would come on the market.It's a nice dagger and I hope it finds a good home.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Yankowski,

nitrostang,hope we're not coming down too hard on you.It's your's to do what you want with it.
I,for one,sometimes write things too quickly and after reading later what I wrote think I could have put it better.I hope the auction doesn't get cancelled and may you get your asking price for it.

Rich it would have been great if everyone did keep everything and than later on sell.I often think of how many daggers,swords,visor caps,uniforms,etc.went to the town dump,this includes items (army officer visor,badges etc.)my own mother threw out from my fathers cousin as they were laying around in the early '50.

ed, you`re right about the stuff being thrown/dumped. my grandfather was one of the first brits across the rhine, and on his way through germany picked up many souvenirs.one a luger, which was handed in during a post war firearms amnesty. but also caps, `knives` and medals. both my grandparents are gone now, but i never got to see the items, as they they were kept `in a shed` , and lost/thrown/given away in the sixties.it`s enough to make you weep.

The vets who risked their lives appriciated these
souvenirs more then their families did. Yes there
was a lot of it around in the late 50's I remember. It had no real value. A lot was discarded in the trash along with Supermans #1s.
But it's really too bad, in my opinion, that a son doesn't feel enough attachment to his dads
war relics to keep them. What will he say to his son one day? "You know son, your granddad was a
war hero in WW2. He even brought back a Nazi dagger he captured from a German officer. However, I wish I could show it to you, but I
no longer have it. I sold it in 2006 for $500 !!!!!!?" -wagner-

Sometimes you have to get"OLD" to realize the value of things,and I'm not talking about money.

I felt the need to respond to everyone's posts.
For the record, it was not my grandfather's dagger, he gave it to me many years ago. An old friend gave it to him. I just wanted some information about it. It has just been laying around collecting dust. I felt that a collector would get better use of it.
As far as the value, I didn't know what to list. The Buy It Now is high, but that is not what the reserve is. If someone offers me a fair price, I will sell it at a fair price. As far as the shipping, that was just a high estimate and I always refund the difference in shipping when the actual shipping is lower.
Also, we have 2 very young children, and the money is better spent on them than sitting in a closet collecting dust.
Thank you for all your help.

Walter and Donna

Personally I thought the $15 shipping was fair.Whats the big deal when your spending hundreds. Some people will trip over dollars to pick up nickles.

Walter and Donna ,this is your dagger no matter were it came from.I personally thank you for putting it back into circulation if you have no interest.I would love to see all the "dust collectors" in draws and closets sold.

Well they got $450.00 for it on e-ban. -wagner-

as i said earlier, it`s a nice dagger. i suppose it`s better being loved by a collector, than used for `sword fights` by a kid !!.