Question about possible military item -- trying to determine what it is!

Hello. I have an item that I am trying to research. It has been stored for many years in my family's home. It is some sort of a pointed object which is 9 7/8 inches long. The blade (it is "not" a sharp blade) is 5 1/2 inches long and the handle portion is 4 3/8 inches long. The width at the widest portion is 5/8 inches. I think it is brass. It has a heavy feel to it. The "blade" has what I would describe as a hammered design which looks like leaves, on both sides. The handle has two "slots" which both run down the length of the handle. On the handle, there is one small design which is also a "hammered" design and looks "possibly" like a swastika. The swastika (if that is what it is) is very upsetting and offensive to me, but I would still like to know the history of this object; what this object is or was. I have tried to do a google image search but have been unable to find anything quite like this! Am I allowed to post a picture of this object on this site, considering the fact that it has what "may" be a swastika on it? I definitely do not want to break any rules! Please let me know. Thank you.

 

Yes, you can post photos. You'll probably need to realize them for upload limits, "Upload a File" and then remember to click "Full size" next to the image to add it yo your post.

Not all swastikas are the Nazi version. They are a part of other cultures and religions.

 

this Navajo rug was made when Adolf was a small boy........
nothing whatsoever to do with WW2......

If you're offended , I apologize , but back then , it was a good luck symbol.

 

ps. I grew up around men cutting cloth, who had tattoos on their arms..... numbers.... just numbers !

 

Hi Carman

thanks for your sensitivity regarding the piece in question (and can understand your hesitation)

to me it sounds more of a decorative paper knife or letter opener

swasticas pop up now and again on lots of things here, so nothing we haven't seen before

quite looking forward to seeing what it is

 

looking forward to seeing this item, whatever it may be.
As has been mentioned, swastikas are found in various cultures around the world. In several cultures it is a good luck symbol, in others a trade symbol and in others a symbol of prosperity.
In the Iron mine where I worked there was an old winch mechanism that had a swastika on it, but this was installed well before the nazis came to power and in any event came from Sweden originally.
In Copenhagen there is the famous Elephant gate, originally the entrance to the Carlsberg brewery, this was built in 1901, and features four enormous elephants supporting the gate, and each have large swastikas on them. These were meant as trade and good luck symbols for the brewery. Perhaps surprisingly, they survived the second world war and the aftermath intact, as Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, but these swastikas far predate the nazi use of the emblem.

 

Now ' that's ' a Gateway !!!!!!

I want one !!!!!

 

Yes, it's pretty impressive isn't it, and it certainly doesn't disappoint to see it in real life either! So, if you are ever in Copenhagen.............Oh, and a tour of the brewery is really interesting too, just be aware of the Elephant beer, at some 9% it needs respect!

 

An amendment to my last post, The lower alcohol Elephant beer is 7.5%. The Extra strong Elephant beer is actually 10.5% ! Be warned!!!! But it is still worth the trip!

 

Well now , I'm just Thirsty !!!!!

 

That is like 'our' La Trappe, and a lot of Belgian beers.

 

don't think i ever tried that elephant one (isn't it a carlsberg?)

but all the strongens have gone down to 7.5% now

so the elephant one has probably followed suit

 

i know special brew was made especially for winston churchill (by carlsberg)

so a strange turn of events when you see homeless people drinking it, and the people looking down at them doing so

 

.........might add............they spit it out now.......wasss zish pisssh ?

 

In Holland I had a beer called the DT's. 9% IIRC, and came in a big bowl glass with pink elephants on it! IIRC. the beer was actually Belgian?



Apologies to Carman, we seem to have gone a bit off topic here lately!

 

not sure what i'd think that was if i saw it .....a barrel of pink elephant juice ?

i've seen this one before....but never tried......put a coupla hairs on the chest though....here goes.....chin chin.....bottoms up

 

No problem at all....I have enjoyed the off topic comments! I just now posted photos of the item which I described in my initial post. I hope the photos show what is needed. I can post additional photos if needed. I tried to show the leaf design, the possible swastika design, the two "grooves/slots" and also a small triangle mark which I am not sure about (not sure if it is some sort of an identifying, intentional mark or not). Hope to hear from anyone and everyone! Thanks.

 

looks like a letter opener,,,,,,,,,,, @the blacksmith

 

I too think it is a letter opener Carman, perhaps from some re-cycled material, hence the two grooves. Possibly it was a locking pin of some sort?
The swastika, yes in this case Nazi. The leaves look like oak leaves, which was a common symbol in bothe the SA (Sturm Abteilung), and the SS ( Schutz Staffel). The oak leaves were commonly used for the higher ranks as rank definition, in the SS a Standartenführer (Colonel) would have an oak leaf on his collar for example, and would go up to have as many as three oak leaves and three pips, SS-Oberstgruppenführer.
Many edged weapons in the Nazi era also used the oak leaf design, it was a common design.

The person that I would contact to ask about this item would be Tom Wittmann, there isn't much that he doesn't know about edged weapons and militaria from this era!

https://wwiidaggers.com/welcome.htm

I have never seen one quite like this, so thank you for posting the pictures.

 

interesting, wonder if it might fit into the trench/theatre made category then

definitely looks like something that has been reworked anyway, and turned into a paper knife