2nd Model Luft by WKC – D1084
There is something to be said for untouched edged weapons which have remained frozen in time in regard to their condition and state of appearance for nearly the last 80 years. Here is one such dagger in this listing.
The off white Trolon grip to this 2nd Model Luft dagger is in fine condition, being void of any noticeable chips, cracks, splits, scrapes, or missing material. Nicely wrapped around it’s entirety is the typical springy decorative wire wrap which this edged weapon firm commonly was known to use. The strands are set tightly into the groves, and all in place. All of the hardware components that are visible have taken on a very dark patina over their surfaces. And as mentioned at the beginning of this writeup, nothing has been touched nor cleaned on this edged weapon for over the last ¾ of a century. Even at that, there are some traces of the gilt which still remain on the pommel swastikas Wrapped around the ferrule section is a neat 23cm Luft portapee in a rather unique laced pattern. I love seeing something like this on a dagger!
And you want to talk about untouched, take a look that this scabbard. They absolutely don’t get much blacker than what you are seeing here in the photos, that’s for sure! And yet this shell remains straight, void of any hits, splits, or bends. Both scabbard bands are in place, and hold the hanger rings properly. And as a “fingerprint” characteristic of the WKC firm as most collectors are aware of, the throat is held by a single side mounted screw.
Lastly, the blade to this Luftwaffe officer’s dagger remains full length, straight, void of any sharpening, tipping, buffing, polishing, or cutting edge chips. There is some surface spots here and there, so be it. Pretty much what we would expect to see after this much time has past. It’s interesting that the WKC trademark is on the obverse and shown under the obverse swastika on the crossguard. Most likely the vet at one time inspected his war trophy and reassembled it in this fashion. This dagger has not been in a collection prior and just the way that it came to us. It’s been that way for a very long time and I would just leave it as is.
Truly a neat looking 2nd model Luft with a lot of character. And as the portapee indicates, belonged to an officer within a flying corps unit. SOLD