Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel) was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf AH. Under the direction of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of Germany eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe. The SS Dienstdolch (service dagger) was introduced in 1933. Early on, members of the SS were awarded their daggers during a ceremony at the Feldherrnhalle Memorial in Munich. The annual ritual, charged with mysticism and meant to evoke the traditions of medieval Teutonic knights, was held on 9 November, the date of the unsuccessful Munich Putsch of 1923. Both officers and enlisted men wore the identical dagger until 1936. After this time, only enlisted men wore the M1933 dagger.

The SS Dagger was originally equipped with nickel crossguards with an ebony wood grip. The black grip contained a National eagle with swas insignia recessed in the center area and an ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) button inset at the top. On early examples the scabbard shell surface was factory blackened using a metal bluing process and had nickel mounts. The SS blade was a polished type containing the SS motto, Meine Ehre Heisst Treue (My Honor is Loyalty). Early examples were mostly hand-fit. Production of later examples was more standardized, using cheaper, nickel-plated fittings with black painted scabbard shells. They could be held with a standard belt hanger, or a much rarer vertical hanger.

This excellent pre-war example was produced by a very rare maker: Gebrüder Christians, Christianswerk, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory) in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. Per J. Anthony Carter's work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, Gebrüder Christians was known producer of SS daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after. They used their oval trademark on early issue SA, SS, and army officer's daggers, and later would move to their assigned RZM number M7/1.

The blade on this fantastic pre-war production dagger is in excellent condition, still showing full original factory final grind cross grain on both sides, something we almost never see! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is just some runner wear and light oxidation speckling keeping it from being MINT. It has not been sharpened like some were by USGI's, and still has the original factory edge. The etched SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (My honor is loyalty) is crisp with almost all of the factory darkening present in the black letter fonts in the backgrounds. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour, and is firmly attached to the hilt. We almost never see SS daggers with blades this good, and this one is as close to MINT as we have ever seen!

The rear of the dagger still has clear RZM markings etched on the ricasso:

(RZM)
M7/1
RZM 1202/38 ᛋᛋ

This indicates the maker and date of production, 1938. The Reichszeugmeisterei, or RZM, 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, with Gebrüder Christians of Solingen being contractor number 1. Later examples moved to the SS-exclusive RZM codes, are unfortunately not identifiable, except for a few companies who have been identified during the transitional period.

The crossguards of this dagger and tang nut are in very good condition throughout, and are of the mid war plated alloy construction. The plating shows just a bit of speckled oxidation, and a few areas in the accent grooves that show possible plating loss and oxidation. Otherwise, they are great, showing no major wear, bubbling, or lifting, and the match the grip perfectly. The pommel nut is magnetic, and in great shape, still firmly attached to the pommel guard. We tried to remove it, but it is fastened tight, and we want to avoid causing any damage. As these are early pre-war production, there is no district numeral stamped into the cross guard.

The ebony grip is a very nice example, with no cracking that we can see, just some small scratches and pressure dents. There are no chunks missing at all, which is very rare, as the black dyeing process for the grips unfortunately causes the wood to become brittle, so damage is common. The silvered ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) symbol and double circles are in great shape, with intact plating and enamel, showing little to no wear. The grip eagle is the "high-necked" type with the beak pointing slightly up. It remains in good condition, showing very little wear, just a bit of light scratching, and also looks to be nickel or nickel plated, not aluminum.

The scabbard shell is a solid example, completely straight and undented, with very little damage. It is the correct black enamel paint finish, which is retained beautifully, with almost no age related degradation. There are just a few scratches and ships, with no other wear. The matching nickel-plated zinc scabbard mounts are in very good condition, with no damage to the lower ball and only minor wear to the plating. The lower ball is dented in quite a bit, which is common even with the steel examples. All four dome headed screws are present and in great shape.

The scabbard is held securely in the extremely rare leather vertical hanger, topped with a plated steel hanger clip. The leather is in very good condition, still supple without any tears or or major issues. It only shows wear to the finish on the securing strap by the plated steel buckle, which is now wrinkled from use. The clip is marked with both the "Barred A" trademark and DRGM for famous maker F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a German city known for it's clothing accessories industry. This maker is particularly well known, and had other factories as well. These are extremely rare in any condition, but especially when they are fully intact.

This is a great chance to own an excellent condition SS dagger from the pre-war period made by a rare and desirable maker! Complete with a lovely scabbard and vertical hanger, this dagger is ready to display!

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