WWI WWII German Trench Knife / Boot knife Nahkampfmesser Solingen Omega

[MarkDenver]

Hi all,

Would you be so kind as to tell me what you think this knife is worth? My great-grandfather brought this German Imperial trench/boot knife back from the war / Breslau Germany, now Wroclaw Poland (I guess this area saw heavy fighting, was one of the last German strongholds before Poland fell away from Germany). This knife was likely used during both world wars, he thought. It has Omega Solingen markings. Handle is made of hard black plastic. sheath is original.

[rbminis]

Hello and welcome to the forum!
Unfortunately, we are not a free appraisal service. We are more than happy to help you find out what you have, after that, you will have to look elsewhere on the web to find a value.

That being said, you have an original WW I German trench knife. The handle is made from wood, not plastic. It is in reasonable condition with some rust to the blade from poor storage since it was brought back. You are correct, it has the original sheath missing the retaining strap.
You should keep it in the family. If this was brought back by a family member, it is invaluable to remember them by and for what they did for all of us.
Congrats!
Ralph.

[MarkDenver]

Thanks for the great description Ralph. Unfortunately, I do need to sell it, so I listed it in the classifieds. Just wanted to make sure I'm writing it up correctly and getting a fair price for it. Looks like I will need to update some things in the description. You're sure that's wood? Boy, that sure feels tougher, and seems more lustrous than wood.

[MarkDenver]

Oh, one more thing, is it advisable to take the rust off, with say naval jelly. It would probably come right off, but the patina with it.

[MarkDenver]

Or please let me know if any other ways to clean it is advised, or whether to clean it at all. Thanks.

[mpw]

Hi Mark.
My advice would be to leave it as it is. Let the new owner worry about cleaning it. Over cleaning can destroy an object for collectors..

Rgd's, Mark.

[MarkDenver]

Thanks MPW!

[MarkDenver]

Looks like I am getting pressure from the family to keep it.

[rbminis]

I am glad to hear that.
Once it is gone, you can never get it back.
You can gently clean it and take some small steps like making sure it is kept in a dry place to prevent it from rusting away. You will not be able to remove the greying to the blade without destroying the value in it. Myself, I would use something like Autosol or Simi-chrome to gently remove any active rust and then you could apply a small amount of Ren-Wax to protect it.
I would also knock any loose dirt out of the scabbard by tapping it upside down on a hard surface and treat the outside the same way.
Ralph.

P.S. You won't get a fortune for it anyways.

[MarkDenver]

Thanks RB minis! Are the brownish spots on the blade considered active rust, or is this patina that should be preserved? Is it okay to use steel wool and gun oil (this was suggested to me by someone at a gun show)? Great idea to knock dirt from the scabbard!