Cased Heer Dagger Gebr. Heller

[Mandrake2877]

Hi everyone. I am New to this site and looking to share/sell a great example of the balloonman heer dagger. This one in particular is engraved (personalized) and comes in a custom hand carved wooden box. Has both the hanger and the portepee. I was going to offer it for sale on ebay but it violates their hate crime policy. I will post pictures tonight. Anyone interested in this piece can contact me. Thanks -Chris

[Larry C]

Hi Chris post it in the classifieds section. This forum is for discussions only. I'm sure you wil get a response as that maker is not commonly seen. Regards Larry

[Mandrake2877]

Thanks Larry. But I also interested to learn who Oberleutnant Von Hans Heitz was. He is the name bearer on the engraving on both the dagger and the box..

[gerrit]

Hi Chris,

looking at your pics 1 thing catches my eyes immediatly: the name on the box does not match with the name on the back of the guard!
So what conclusion follows: the box is no WW2 box, its a later addition, its also not von Hans Heitz, but his name was Hans-Heinz.
Written as Hans-Heinz in German it normally only is a first/prename, so with no family name its impossible to tell who once was the owner.

Regards,
Ger

[Larry C]

Very well Mandrake.... for reasons of discussion the thread can stay. Any other content of business transaction..on this thread..and it will be hard deleted. Regards Larry

[gerrit]

Forgot to mention another thing that caught my eye:
the crossguard says Weihnachten 1936
the box says 1939

The box maker made 2 crucial mistakes, wrong name and wrong year.
( for sure he is/was no German, a German would not use a dual firstname like Hans-Heinz as a complete name, using Heinz as a family name)

Regards,
Ger

[Mandrake2877]

Ger,
I did notice the dates not matching, I assumed it was added later as a "gift" per say. As far as the names.. great call. I didn't inspect them closely enough. Seems someone else didn't pay close enough attention either! So without a family name , this is a non-specifically personalized dagger. Interesting. I purchased this dagger out of Col Larry Michael's estate. Col Larry Michael was the collector who bought WWII items directly from Andrew Sivi ( one of four GI's that stayed in Hitlers house in Munich ) Sivi traded coffee and other things to the house keeper in exchange for items in the house. ( Guns, diaries, knifes etc ) Col Larry Michael owed the "709" S&W 22 suicide pistol.

[Mandrake2877]

Larry, I come in peace. I understand the forum policy and will not solicit business here. I have a large collection of WWII items that I wish to share pictures and discuss. I wish I had paid better attention in history class because this stuff fascinates me. My interests lie in the wealth of knowledge, not money.

-Chris

[Larry C]

Hi Chris you cam to the right place ...and looking forward to seeing many items of your collection throughout the many designated forums. Enjoy your stay here.....and yes..its quite fascinating...and addictive. Best Regards Larry

[T Kendall]

As Ger pointed out seems the box was certainly made post war likely by a previous owner with a passion for wood working. Also of interest the scabbard is a later type possibly married to the dagger at some point.