Hello,
I would appreciate your opinion regarding a Hitler Youth knife that has been in my family for decades.
Known history
The knife belonged to my late father.
I clearly remember it approximately 40 years ago, when I was a child.
At that time it still had:
the original black grip plates,
the HJ diamond with swastika,
the original metal scabbard with the leather hanger.
Years later the handle was modified and the original grip plates disappeared.
Blade
The blade still bears the motto:
"Blut und Ehre!"
The engraving appears old and naturally worn. It was already present over 40 years ago.
The motto is in Gothic (Fraktur) script and appears correctly positioned parallel to the cutting edge.
Maker mark
The maker mark appears to read:
C. JUL. HERBERTZ SOLINGEN
The stamp is heavily worn, but after careful examination on the blade itself this is the reading that seems most likely.
Why this knife is puzzling
Everything else seems consistent with an early HJ knife:
original HJ diamond (remembered by me from childhood),
black grip plates,
correct metal scabbard,
leather hanger,
early "Blut und Ehre!" motto.
However, I have been unable to find documentation showing C. Jul. Herbertz as a licensed HJ knife manufacturer.
Could Herbertz have acted as a distributor using blades manufactured by another Solingen company?
Has anyone seen another authentic HJ knife marked C. Jul. Herbertz – Solingen?
Any opinion or comparable examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.
I would appreciate your opinion regarding a Hitler Youth knife that has been in my family for decades.
Known history
The knife belonged to my late father.
I clearly remember it approximately 40 years ago, when I was a child.
At that time it still had:
the original black grip plates,
the HJ diamond with swastika,
the original metal scabbard with the leather hanger.
Years later the handle was modified and the original grip plates disappeared.
Blade
The blade still bears the motto:
"Blut und Ehre!"
The engraving appears old and naturally worn. It was already present over 40 years ago.
The motto is in Gothic (Fraktur) script and appears correctly positioned parallel to the cutting edge.
Maker mark
The maker mark appears to read:
C. JUL. HERBERTZ SOLINGEN
The stamp is heavily worn, but after careful examination on the blade itself this is the reading that seems most likely.
Why this knife is puzzling
Everything else seems consistent with an early HJ knife:
original HJ diamond (remembered by me from childhood),
black grip plates,
correct metal scabbard,
leather hanger,
early "Blut und Ehre!" motto.
However, I have been unable to find documentation showing C. Jul. Herbertz as a licensed HJ knife manufacturer.
Could Herbertz have acted as a distributor using blades manufactured by another Solingen company?
Has anyone seen another authentic HJ knife marked C. Jul. Herbertz – Solingen?
Any opinion or comparable examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.
