Kriegsmarine 1st model Alcoso etched dagger with ivory grip and M38 pommel

**dr73** · 07-19-2013, 07:33 PM

Hi guys, here is one of my navy daggers with a beautiful ivory grip. It's by Alcoso and has all the typical Alcoso details like the scabbard rings, the pommel and the diamond shape on the back of the crossguard. I love this one. Enjoy!

Danny

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 07-19-2013 07:33 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**harryamb2** · 07-19-2013, 08:00 PM

a nice dagger to have.

**Wagriff** · 07-19-2013, 08:31 PM

Excellent Ivory KM! Thanks for posting! Now where's the hangers?

**Alan M** · 07-19-2013, 08:40 PM

I love that Danny , thanks for showing it

**Adrian** · 07-19-2013, 08:49 PM

Beautiful piece.

A question......

Is the ivory actually 'real' ivory that once grew on an elephant's head or could it have been the teeth or tusks of any animal as opposed to just one?

Most people associate ivory with elephants but I know it covers a wide range of similar materials, so was any particular type used for these daggers?

**Larry C** · 07-19-2013, 10:42 PM

Good question....all firms who produced the 2nd pattern dagger offered genuine Ivory grips but an an extra cost...ranging in price as the standard 2nd model Naval with synthetic grip was near 16 RM...where as the Ivory grip feature was priced at near 24RM. Only a trained eye would be able to discern between Ivory and imitation Ivory..for those collectors who are knowledge versed in Ivory types. We cant say for sure if it directly from elephant tusks..but indeed a great question. This would be reserved for the advanced collectors,, game hunters and those who study large animals. To see minute cracking is a good sign of it being ivory. I have failed to see any Kriegsmarine dagger that was produced less than perfect compared to Later RZM daggers and Army daggers. The Kriegsmarine dagger is in a class of its own when it comes to craftmanship and beauty. I would have no doubts that it would be Ivory.

But again it would be for the critical eye of the Ivory type collector for Kriegsmarine daggers. Regards Larry

Oh BTW Danny................

is all I can say thanks for posting it.

**Wagriff** · 07-19-2013, 11:01 PM

Genuine Ivory can actually be from any one of many sources of Ivory. Hippo tusks, Pig tusks, Walrus tusks, Elephant tusks, Whale teeth, even Narwhal horns and more. Any of these are considered genuine Ivory and there are few if any major discernible differences. It is Supposed, but not a signed Fact that most of the Ivory grips are of Elephant Ivory, as Elephants in the 1st half of the Century were plentiful-indeed, even destructive to properties and uncounted thousands of them were taken. The trade in their tusk Ivory was Worldwide and extensive for endless manufacturing-piano keys, billiard balls, jewelry, shotgun sights-you name it. The Orientals used Ivory for virtually anything you could think of.

Today, the emphasis is on Mammoth and Mastadon Ivory. I've used both for many projects-it is still relatively inexpensive, available and attractive in appearance(and Best of all Legal!), it being abit darker from age and ground burial over modern Ivory.

**maximus71** · 07-20-2013, 01:15 AM

Wow another beauty, as I stated before I long to own an ivory grip someday, did they use ivory for WW1 pieces also? and where these grips per order? I can only imagine a box of mint ivory grips laying around somewhere after the war, you dont see many ivory grips alone for sale.

**stingray** · 07-20-2013, 01:49 AM

Wow Danny,that's amazing piece,congrats

Regards
Stingray

**dr73** · 07-20-2013, 01:21 PM

Thanks a lot guys! Really interesting info on Ivory grips. I agree with Wagriff it was most likely the germans used ivory from elephants.
Maximus71: in ww2 ivory was becomming scarce. That's why you don't see too many ivory gripped pieces of that period. A big difference with ww1. Most, if not all navy daggers that were made during or before
ww1 had ivory grips.

Danny