Original Item: Only One Available. This very good condition mid-late war period produced NSKK Dagger has nickel-plated fittings throughout, and is fitted with an exceptionally good blade. This example was made by the the legendary Solingen-based firm of Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie (WKC), Waffenfabrik GmbH.

These daggers are identical to the SA dagger, except they have a black finished scabbard. The guards and tang nut are nickel plated alloy, probably zinc or some other "pot metal", and have most of the plating intact, with some lifting and flaking near the grips. There is some oxidation where the grip wood meets the guards, which is typical, but both still have most of the plating, with light wear. The cross guard does not show any major chipping or dents, just the usual effects of age. The pommel guard however cracked through entirely by the pommel nut, which is a somewhat common occurrence due to the alloy used and the pressure on that area. It looks to have been secured with glue long ago. The grip overall is still tight on the blade.

The grip is a fine product having a fine reddish colored mahogany tone in the surfaces and having medium center ridge construction. This grip is in very good condition with great grain, and fits the crossguards well. There is no chipping or cracking in the wood that we can see, just some pressure denting and a few small stains. The SA / NSKK button itself is nicely set having fully intact translucent enameling, and the plating intact with some verdigris and oxidation as shown. The details are still there to the inlaid aluminum eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas.

The blade of this example is in excellent condition and has virtually all of its factory final polish grind crossgrain. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There do not appear to be any rust issues aside from some specks of very light staining near the edge and ricasso, and the original factory edge is intact. There is also the usual runner wear from the scabbard. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is deep and crisp, with a fine frosted background typical of WKC that is retained at nearly 100%. This is really a fantastic blade that would be very hard to improve upon!

The reverse ricasso is etched with a double circle with RZM logo in the middle over M7 / 42. This indicates Post-1941 manufacture by maker Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie (WKC), Waffenfabrik GmbH (Weapons Factory). This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany - a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making, often called the "City of Blades".

Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ''Kings head'' as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums, and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded in 1930 as W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.

The Reichszeugmeisterei (National Quartermaster's Office), or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 42 stands for W.K.C. Waffenfabrik of Solingen.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the mid-war style, which has a black enamel lacquered steel body. This is still in very good shape, with no dents we can see, and just some finish chipping in small areas, as well as some areas of wear. There is also a bit of crazing and checking in the finish, only achieved after decades, so this is definitely not a refinished example. The upper and lower fittings are nickel-plated non-magnetic alloy, with a great look and just some light wear, with very little denting to the lower ball. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original dome headed screws.

A lovely NSKK dagger from a famous maker with a fantastic blade and original scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8 3/4"
Overall length: 13 3/4”
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 10”

History of the SA and NSKK-

The SA or Brown Shirts, were a private political formation which Adolf AH and the NSDAP used to maintain order at organized Party meetings and demonstrations. The group was formed in 1921, and grew to a huge force of nearly 3,000,000 men by the later 1930's. To instill esprit de corps, as well as create employment for the Blade City of Solingen, it was decided each SA man would carry a dagger with his Brown Shirt uniform. Huge quantities needed to be produced to accommodate the demand. The dagger initially was produced of hand-fitted nickel mounts with attractive finished wood grip and brown anodized (a bluing process) finished scabbard.

The blade was etched with the SA motto, Alles für Deutschland. Examples produced prior to 1935 were stamped with the German sector of the SA group on reverse lower crossguard. Later examples underwent standardization through the RZM ministry. These pieces were produced of cheaper plated zinc-base fittings and scabbards were simply painted brown.

Prior to his "unmasking" as a traitor, Ernst Röhm was the leader of the SA. In 1934, he distributed approximately 100,000 SA daggers with his personal inscription on the reverse blade. These daggers were to honor individuals who had served with the SA prior to December, 1931. Other than the inscription, these pieces were identical to the standard M1933 SA dagger. After the Röhm purge, the inscription was ordered to be removed. Many examples were returned to the factory for grinding. Others were simply ground in the field by whatever means were available. Examples will occasionally be encountered with remnants of the original inscription remaining on the blade, but mostly none will remain. Some blades exist with an intact inscription, reflecting only the removal of the Röhm signature. Very very rarely is an example seen with a full, untouched inscription, as the holder would have surely risked a charge of treason.

After the purge, the NSKK, which had been a part of the SA, was split off into a separate organization. They retained the same daggers as the SA, however now used a black painted scabbard, and their officer's daggers had a few differences as well. Many already had SA daggers, so these had the scabbards painted black over the original brown anodized finish.