My SS dagger - newbie questions

[dino67]

Hello-
I am new to the militaria world and have some questions about a SS dagger I own. I was given the dagger when I was child in 1959 or 1960. What you see is exactly how I received it back then. It is missing the handle completely as you can see in the pics. It has been in storage for years and has never had any work done to it.

I have some questions about it:

1. Is there any market for a dagger that is missing the handle?
2. What is the value in the U.S.A. of something like this in it's present condition?
3. Are authentic replacement handles available for this?
4. Should the parts that have surface rust been de-rusted or should it be left as is?

Thank you so much for any information you can give me.

[Dean]

Hello, and welcome! I'm sure you can find a replacement handle and pommel parts on the market, but these were made by hand and every part fit perfectly to the one dagger. It may be hard to find a handle and other missing parts that will fill properly. Personally I would try to restore it , nonetheless . But that's just me. Also if you were trying to sell it after restoring it , you won't get as much as if it were all matching. You can sell it as is for a decent amount but I can't say how much. I'd keep it if i were you. Also, the vertical hanger/frog is pretty rare and good to see. Also, I wouldn't do any polishing but I might add a bit of WD-40 to the rust, I'm sure that wont hurt.
P.S.
This is all just my personal opinion, don't take my word for it.

[bigmacglenn]

I'm positive that a more knowledgeable member will be able to assist you more than I can on this particular piece, but I can tell you that there is indeed a market for this blade and scabbard, and that you shouldn't do any cleaning at all...
Welcome to the Forum!
cheers, Glenn

[Dean]

By the way, the maker is EP & S. , Solingen
Also, the scabbard tip is usually cracked or messed up from dropping it. Yours has some surface issues but the tip looks intact. Here's my SA dagger for example, you can see a dimple at the tip.

[dino67]

Thanks for the information. Your SA dagger looks like its really nice. Here is a picture of the tip of my dagger. Is it considered to be in good or bad condition?

[Dean]

Thanks. Now that I see a better image, it does seem to have a small dimple, which is very common. Not as bad as I've seen before, though. I've seen big cracks in them.

[dino67]

Thank you again. If it's ok, I have a couple more questions. I probably would not sell it, but generally speaking for daggers, is the value of the parts sold individually more or less than a complete item? And do you have any ideas where I would find a complete handle for mine? If I keep it I would like it be somewhat complete. I've done some searching on the 'net but haven't found any.

[bigmacglenn]

Although this is not my field of collecting, we have seasoned SS Dagger Collectors here on the Forum, and I'm positive that by the end of the day you will have the expert advice that you need on these items. SS Daggers are a desirable item in the hobby. I suggest you hang on a bit for one of our esteemed members to help you...and you may have a buyer among them.
cheers, Glenn

[Dean]

I second that advise. The members here who expertise in this area are from around the world and some may be asleep, at work or just plain busy.

[harryamb2]

I have a incomplete SA dagger,trying to find the bits is a expensive nightmare.