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 comes compete with a very nice original scabbard, which is the correct early pattern, and overall is a lovely example.

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 well-aged 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 no signs of major cleaning, and it definitely looks like the hilt may have been exposed to moisture. 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, as well as a bit of cracking and chipping near the cross guard. The alloy pommel nut does not show any 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 shows quite a bit of verdigris, which we have left in place to avoid disturbing the patina. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. It has some verdigris on it, showing that it is solid nickel alloy, and it has patinated nicely. The details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross).

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, but the grain is still present in most areas, except where the runners have worn it smooth. There are no signs of post manufacture sharpening, though there is some oxidation on the edge, and there is just the tiniest dent on the very tip. 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 the first item of any type we have had by this rare maker.

The scabbard shell is straight and dent free throughout and is the early-war style, which were produced with a brown "anodized" finish on the steel, which was then lacquered. Unlike most we see, this example still has over 75% of the lacquer on the front, while the reverse is retained at about 40%. Usually this is completely worn away, and both sides still show the original brown anodized color strongly. There is some scratching and oxidation present, which is definitely a bit worse on the reverse. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver with a great aged look, showing wear from use and cleaning. The chape lower ball is only dented in a bit, which is uncommon due to how soft the nickel alloy is. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original dome headed screws.

A lovely early war SA dagger from a rare and desirable maker, complete with an original 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.