RLB Daggers

This page's last update: Jan 07, 2012

RLB 1st Model Daggers

RLB-50 1st Model RLB Leader
Wow try and find one of these! This is an excellent dagger that I'm pleased to bring to the collector market. Bright blade is NM with all the crossgrain intact. The tip is perfect. There is no maker mark visible, having said that this could be a Witte product as theirs were very light and sometimes wore right off! Original thin black pebbled buffer pad is intact. The aluminum hilt fittings are beautifully executed and in fine shape with all matching patina. Grip leather is 100% intact. with a properly pinned sunburst 1st model RLB insignia. The silver wash that remains is better than 90%. Like 95% of these first model insignia's there is some enamel loss to the letters. This enamel is so thin it just did not stand up. The grip leather is 100% intact showing some minor wear and marks and rubs. Scabbard is an undented example with again excellent original leather intact. There are a few normal pressure marks as you would expect to see on real daggers. The plated scabbard fittings have nice matching patina. All the screws are intact and unturned. It all fits fine and comes with factory issued hanger. Originally purchased from Vet's family by Tom Johnson. Overall Exc++
$5795

RLB 2nd Model Daggers

RLB-56 2nd Model RLB Leader Dagger
Here's a good honest example with a super blade. The blade is awesome and the best part of this piece. It shows a very small amount of wear. The tip is perfect, there has been no sharpening and the cross grain looks awesome against the light! The blade rates NM. The buffer is in good condition and remains intact. The early silver washed hilt fittings shows a little bit age with a bit of plating loss by the eagles breast and top of the pommel exposing the brass base. The scabbard fittings show some age and platting loss. The dent-free dark navy-blue leather shows light wear throughout although remains in good condition with full leather coverage. The grip is complete with starburst grip emblem that shows some chipping to black enamel on the swastika. The enamel looks a bit funky and I suspect it's been repaired at some point. A great piece for a very fair price. Overall it rates Exc++
$2595

RLB-49 2nd Model RLB Leader by Paul Weyersberg
Here's a nice early example obtained from an advance British collector. The Paul Weyersberg (sword inside wreath, double oval) TM. is in Exc+ condition showing some age stains and evidence of old fingerprints. The buffer is a replacement. Early silver washed solid nickel hilt fittings show age and some evidence of the factory lacquer to the protected areas. The crossguard features the correct "cut-out" type swas. Black leather grip shows light wear and is complete with starburst grip emblem which shows wear to silver plating on starburst and some minor chipping to black enamel on swastika. Dent-free scabbard shows only light surface wear with no rips, tears, or damage to the black leather covering. Dent-free upper, center, and lower scabbard fittings are again solid nickel. The center scabbard ring is steel and this is NOT a replacement these came out of the factory exactly this way, have seen it several times. They just took the 1st model scabbards and added these center fittings to make these 2nd model scabbards. What a lot of people do not realize is that 1st and 2nd model RLB's were, for a time, produced concurrently. I know that in most textbooks this is not spelled out but it should be! Go look at period catalogues and you will see that I am right on this. In today's culture of efficiency it would seem strange to do this and the Germans of the 1930's thought different than us. They eventually did fully transition out of the 1st model. Anyways that is exactly why we often see both 1st and 2nd model RLB's exhibiting transitional features. Overall Exc+/Exc++
$2795

Why not complete your dagger with a hanger?