Miniatures

Cased Miniature Imperial Dagger Letter Opener w/Graf Spee Wax Seal (#28890)

$5,650.00

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SKU: 28890 Categories: , ,

Description

Armored Knight’s Torso (WKC) TM. Maximillian Reichsgraf Von Spee (22 June 1861 –  8 December 1914) was a German Admiral remembered for his activities during the First World War and the Battle of the Falkland Islands in which he was killed in action. He joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) in 1878 and from 1887 to 1888 he commanded the Kamerun ports in German West Africa. He was first officer of the battleship SMS Brandenburg when it was sent to East Asia in 1899 during the Boxer Rebellion. Before World War I, he held a number of senior positions relating to weapons development, before being appointed Chief of Staff of the North Sea Command in 1908, rising to Rear Admiral on 27 January 1910. On 8 December 1914, Spee’s force attempted a raid on the coaling station at Stanley in the Falkland Islands, unaware that the previous month the British had sent two modern fast battlecruisers HMS Inflexible and HMS Invincible. In the ensuing Battle of the Falkland Islands, Spee’s flagship, Scharnhorst, together with GneisenauNürnberg and Leipzig were all lost, together with some 2,200 German sailors, including Spee himself and his two sons. The admiral went down with his flagship, the Scharnhorst, along with all hands.  This superb wax seal set is directly attributed to the Graf. Letter opener hilt shows very light wear/age to open-crown pommel, crossguard with fluted quillons, and rectangular quillon block with raised fouled anchor motif.  Ivory grip  shows light age/wear with no cracks or damage and is complete with tight twisted gilt wire wrap.  Blade of letter opener shows light wear/age and some thinning to plating along the cutting edge   Wax seal features a Near MINT hilt in a slightly larger configuration than the letter opener featuring an ivory grip.  Quillons feature starboard and port colored glass on tips. Attached to the underside of the crossguard is an engraved wax seal with the Graf Spee coat of arms consisting of two roosters and quartered shield featuring three diamonds in each quarter.  Desk set is complete with an oval hinged, black leatherette case with gilt border on the exterior lid.  Interior lid is covered in padded white silk with lower fitted section covered in dark green velvet.  Exterior case shows light wear/age with some aging to the interior lid silk lining.  Ultra-rare, one-of-a-kind historical artifact belonging to one of the architects of the Imperial German Navy.  EX++  (28890)

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