Item:
ONJR24OL0091

Original German Early WWII SA Dagger by Rare Maker Solinger Metalwaren-Fabrik SMF with Scabbard

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great early pattern SA Dagger, made by the rare maker Solinger Metalwaren-Fabrik SMF of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. This maker was mainly known for making edged weapons for the Luftwaffe, and this is the first example of an SA dagger we have had by this maker. It comes comes complete with an original scabbard, which is in very good shape, and is the correct early type.

The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, and is a really nice example. The cross guards and tang nut are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice lightly aged patina, and a bit of verdigris where they contact the grip. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked Wf, for Westfalen (Westphalia), which encompassed the area near Cologne, very close to Solingen. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior. The nickel alloy end nut shows no turning, and the hilt is still tight on the tang, with no wobble.

The grip is a fine product having a lovely mahogany brown color with a medium center ridge construction. It is really in great shape, showing no cracks or large chips, just a tiny one next to the guard, and lovely grain. There is just a bit of light pressure denting and scratching. The grip fits the guards nicely, and the SA symbol button is nicely set, and still has most of the transludent enamel intact. There is a bit of verdigris surrounding the emblem due to contact with the wood. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. Most of the details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas. There is a bit of wear as well as more verdigris oxidation, showing that is the correct solid nickel silver for an early pattern eagle, and the left wing is a bit raised up from the wood.

The blade of this example is in very good near excellent condition, with the factory final grind cross grain retained throughout the blade! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is the usual wear from the scabbard runners, present on just about every German dagger out there, as well as wear from cleaning, which has made the cross grain faint in areas. There does appear to have been some light oxidation staining that was cleaned away at one point. The tip is intact, and the original factory edges have not been sharpened at all. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still crisp, however cleaning has made the factory darkening a bit faint.

The SMF trademark logo on the blade ricasso features an etched king holding an upward pointing sword, and is known as the "Seated King". The king is sitting on the firm initials SMF and is positioned above an arch shaped town location SOLINGEN. Solinger Metalwaren-Fabrik Stöcker & Co. GmbH, also known as SMF, were one of the major suppliers of edged weapons to the Luftwaffe during WWII. However, they also made a number of SA / NSKK daggers, which are relatively hard to find. As the name implies, they were located in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. For more information, please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the early-war style, which were produced with a brown "anodized" finish on the steel, which was then lacquered. This example actually still retains over 60% of the original lacquer, which is usually almost completely missing. It still retains most of the anodized finish on both sides, with no dents or major damage we can see. There are some small areas of oxidation, which are probably best left alone. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, with a great look and some dents and scratches showing typical wear. The chape is just a bit dented at the end, as the nickel alloy is somewhat soft, making this a common thing to see. The throat nicely matches the cross guards, and all four dome headed screws are retained.

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

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