WW1 Feldspaten / Trench Shovel - Makers Mark ?

[AlecH]

Hi,
Thinking of buying this Field Spade with carrier, described as Model 1898 with army 1916 carrier, after reading the only but excellent thread in Imperial Germany dealing with Trench Shovels -

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/imper...-shovel-56599/

I'm inclined to believe its a Model 1874 ? with a Heer 1916 carrier, one thing I'm unsure about the maker, do members have any idea which makers mark is on the spade ? and do they know the price range they trade in ?. Sorry about the poor pictures they are the only ones I have.

[bigmacglenn]

Are you sure this isn't a Swiss Entrenching Tool? The reinforcement-ring around the shaft is typical of Swiss shovels, which are often misrepresented as being German...
cheers, Glenn

[AlecH]

Glenn,
No, I'm not 100% sure, that was the reason I asked about the M.M. hoping it would clear up doubts one way or the other, always a worry that the thing turns out to be a Swiss product ! If you look at the last post in the link I posted, you'll see the illustrations have reinforcement rings. Regards

[Hoss]

Alec
The spaten isn't a m1874 the crest I'm unfamiliar with but the spec is not correct I doubt the carrier is W1 German its not a swiss shovel either.

Cheers
Eric

[meyle77]

Could be Russian or Bulgarian - they used similar ones.

[37Webbing]

I know this thread has been dead for a while, but had to make a small comment on this marvellous shovel.

Most counties stole the design... Even the British tried it (patt. '37 entrenching tool)

The design is Danish. The inventor was the Danish officer Mads Johan Buch Linneman, and he patented the shovel in 1869 (in Denmark), a year later the shovel was introduced in the Danish army (1870-71.) The original design called for a reinforcement-ring. Danish and Swiss shovels all have this feature. As well as the first batch of Russians shovels (and countless other nations that bought shovels of the first design)

Linnemann went to Austria in 1871, and began manufacturing shovels for the Russians and Austrians (among others). Germany and France quickly began manufacturing their "own". They never recognized his patent rights, and he never made a penny of the German / French shovels.