Original Item: Only One Available. This is an very good condition early pattern SA Dagger, made by the rare and desirable firm of Gebrüder Becker, Stahlwarenfabrik, located in Solingen, Germany. This company is known for making early pattern SA and NSKK daggers in somewhat limited numbers, being rated 5 of 10 on the McSARR (McAlvanah SA Rarity Rating) scale, assembled based on 18,000 daggers as seen by Mike McAlvanah. It comes complete with a great original scabbard and belt hanger, which are replacement mid war types.

The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, and is a very good example. The crossguards and tang nut are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice patina. There is some age to these mounts but there is no lifting anywhere, showing that they are solid and not plated. There are a few scratches and dents, and it does look like some corrosion may have been cleaned off long ago, leaving a bit of a texture near the fittings. The lower guard is Gruppe/Gau marked No, for Nordsee (North Sea), an SA Administrative region on the North Sea Coast encompassing the area around Oldenberg. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior.

The grip is a fine product having a lovely mahogany color, with medium center ridge construction, showing wear from service, including some scratches and pressure dents, however there is not any cracking or chipping we can see. The alloy pommel does show some turning, and the hilt is still tight to the blade. The SA symbol button is nicely set, and still has most of the translucent enamel intact, however the nickel plating has been worn through to the brass base metal. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. It has some verdigris on it, and the nickel plating has been worn down to the brass on the edges of the wings. The details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross), and it has a lovely aged patina.

The blade is in very good condition and mostly bright, still showing most of the original factory final grind cross grain on both sides! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It shows some signs of past staining and cleaning to remove oxidation staining, but the grain is still present in most areas, except where the runners have worn it smooth. There are some areas of past water staining close to the crossguard, but no signs of post manufacture sharpening, and the tip is still intact. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, with the factory darkening very well retained. Definitely a lovely blade!

The reverse ricasso is maker marked with the "demi-chef" trademark logo of Gebrüder Becker, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory) of Solingen, over their address information:

GEBR·BECKER
SOLINGEN

Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, this company was founded in 1921 by brothers Arthur and Cuno Becker, and was registered with Solingen authorities in 1928. The company was known for flatware, knives, and scissors, and also is known to have made a few SA and NSKK daggers during the mid 1930s, bearing the company's "Chef" trademark. By 1939 Arthur Becker was the sole owner, and the company would survived the war, eventually ceasing operations in the 1980s. This is only the second item of any type we have had by this rare maker, and the other was also an early SA dagger.

The scabbard shell is straight and dent free throughout and has excellent original brown enamel paint. There is some minor chipping and scratches, and we do not see any evidence that it was repainted. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching nickel-plated steel mounts. These mounts are in very good condition overall, with only some plating wear through and denting on the lower ball, which is common even on the steel examples. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws, though the top screws do show some wear. Really a top example!

Attached to the hanger ring on the scabbard is a very nice later pattern belt hanger, with nickel plated steel hardware and brown finished leather. The leather is in very good condition, showing a wear and wrinkling to the finish, though we do not see any cracking. The keeper loop is still present, and the leather is also has (RZM) code L2 / 371 / 39 embossed into the leather. The hardware still retains almost all of the nickel plating, and the spring clip is still functional, marked on the back with the "Barred A" trademark and DRGM over ((RZM)) M5/8, for F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a large maker of belts, buttons, and other accoutrements.

A very nice early war SA dagger by a very rare and desirable maker, complete with a very nice original replacement scabbard and hanger. Ready to display!

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

History of the SA-

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.