Tiny Heer dagger

**LeveractionMax** · 02-26-2018, 04:00 PM

Recent purchase. Can anyone shed some light upon it regarding age, authenticity and anything else. Thanks

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 02-26-2018 04:00 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**BrodieBartfast** · 02-26-2018, 04:17 PM

I believe miniatures were frequently produced as sales samples, as a way for the manufacturer to exhibit their wares without having to lug around a case of full-size daggers. The same is true for bayonets. I can't go into specifics, as I'm not a 'blade guy', but I see miniatures for sale on a fairly regular basis.

B.B.

**LeveractionMax** · 02-26-2018, 05:03 PM

Thanks for the quick reply. Some may refer to these as letter openers but this was represented as a salesman's sample. I don't see any maker's marks.

**Saladin** · 02-26-2018, 05:06 PM

I really like these miniature daggers.
As pointed out they are described as salesman's samples but I also have one with a carpet manufacturer? seller which must have been given as a free gift.

Here is my Luftwaffe example:
Luftwaffe 2nd Pattern Dagger....Letter Opener
Cheers
Doug

A couple more of mine again Luftwaffe and heer pieces:
Cased Luftwaffe 2nd Pattern Denazified

SMF Battle Weary Miniature Luftwaffe 2nd Pattern

**Franjo Vuk** · 02-26-2018, 05:37 PM

You have some lovely examples Doug.
Best regards,
Franko

**Adrian Stevenson** · 02-27-2018, 07:42 AM

I have a very nice example coming up for sale at work on March 19th. It even has hangers and a knot.

Cheers, Ade.

**gerrit** · 02-27-2018, 09:28 AM

Sorry to spoil the party, but to me this one does not reflect the WW2 craftmanship, and looks like a total repro to me.
The bad casting of the pommel and crossguard, the missing of the scabbard throat, the seam on the plastic grip, and there is also no balance in the scabbard bands to throat ratio,
To me this one is not the real deal.
These "letteropener" army models only have a few different crossguards, scabbardbands and pommels, and so far the originals look realy different then the one you show here.
Just compare this one with my Alcoso, these tiny ones are real pieces of art, the cheap repro with their odd crossguard are not.

Regards
Ger

**Saladin** · 02-27-2018, 10:34 AM

Looking at the scale compared to the one cent coin Ger I think this is a really tiny dagger compared to the example you show and the ones I own so I can imagine that there would be a loss of detail.

I still like this little one.

How big is it Max?

Doug

**Watchdog** · 02-27-2018, 10:57 AM

by Saladin

Looking at the scale compared to the one cent coin Ger I think this is a really tiny dagger compared to the example you show and the ones I own so I can imagine that there would be a loss of detail.
How big is it Max?

Well a quick visual scaling from that coin (it is a one cent piece isn't it?) my guess is a shade under 15cm or about 6" so yes pretty small. Too small for a letter opener certainly in a mans hand!

Regards

Mark

**gerrit** · 02-27-2018, 10:58 AM

The tiny ones armies are 19cm the larger ones 23.5cm
Imperial mini daggers even have a 11.5cm version, tiny but very detailed ones, nothing like this one.
I have owned several smaler armies and they all had the same crossguard, and thats a different one as the one shown here.

These letteropeners were also used by companies as gifts and often maker marked, they took pride in their minis and that reflected in the quality.

Lets show some decent pics.....then we can compare it in a decent way.

Ger