Some NOS (New Old Stock) J.A.Henckels pairing knives.

[Ericfg]

These beauties arrived yesterday and I'm quite happy. They looked very clean form the auction photos and in-hand they seem to be never used, possibly even with the factory lacquer on a couple of them (the middle two).

The uppermost knife also looked to possibly have a little rust on it so I'm hoping it's a carbon steel knife.
I have a request into Zwilling's help dept. to get these dated and steel content verified. My guess is 1960+/-.
I took some 600 grit and 1200 grit polishing paper to that blade and it cleaned up real nice. After and before image here:

I'm debating cutting an onion or splashing a little vinegar on it to see what it does.

 

[Ericfg]

So about 3 months after I gave up on getting a reply from Zwilling I get this email yesterday:
"I am sorry for the delayed reply. We have checked into your knives. They date back to the early to mid 1950's. The knives are from three different wood handled sets, they were very common for their time."
Interesting. I've been using one of the middle identical pair at work for paring/peeling on a daily basis. It takes a typical, great Friodur-steel edge and seems to hold it for a good while. The handle, on the other hand, is staining near where the blade meets the scales, despite my slathering of wax and mineral oil. There's little question in my mind that bolsterless handles cannot handle regular use and cleaning.