Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn, Solingen | RZM M7/49
The Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn Stahlwarenfabrik company was one of the longest-established cutlery businesses in Solingen. Its ancestry traces back to 1623, when Arndt, Jürgen and Wilhelm Herder were making knives in Geylenbergh. Peter Herder began the use of the Schüppen-Ass (Ace of Spades) trademark in 1727. Friedrich Herder registered "Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn" in 1840. In 1848, protection for the crossed keys trademark was granted. Herder entered the Solingen commercial register on December 20, 1888. Herder manufactured numerous edged weapons in the 1870s and 1880s, including British and Austro-Hungarian saber bayonets. Friedrich Herder died in 1887 and his uncle Gustav Weyersberg took over. A depot was established in Buenos Aires in 1898 and a larger presence was made known in the Netherlands. From 1915-1918 Herder was involved in the production of the S. 98/05 bayonet exclusively for the Bavarian state government. Gustav Weyersberg, Carl Weyersberg and Hermann Bick were listed as the owners from 1914-1928. In the 1920s Herder produced many items including: knives, sheaths, vegetable knives, pocket knives, scrapers, chisels, cutlery, scissors, straight blade razors, carving sets and hair clipper blades. Carl Weyersberg, widow Helene Weyersberg and Hermann Bick fulfilled managing roles from 1930-1939. During the Third Reich era, many SA daggers were made along with SS daggers using the RZM 1203/38 SS contract code. S. 84/98 bayonets were made from 1934-1937 marked with the "S/177" code. In 1935, Herder was given the RZM code M7/49. Herder was allotted the "ffc" K98 bayonet code on June 1941. The company's headquarters was in Solingen on Grünewalder Straße 31 from 1935-1985 when it moved to Obernitter Straße 15-21. The Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn company ceased trading in the early 1990s, and was declared insolvent in 1993.
| Maker | Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn |
| Location | Solingen |
| RZM Number | RZM M7/49 |
| Trademark | Ace of Spades, Crossed Keys |
| Founded | 1623 |
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Reference:
Hogle, N. (2021). The Collector’s Guide to Hitler Youth Knives.