Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') 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 infamous Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and 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 equipped with nickel cross guards 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. The scabbard had nickel mounts. The SS blade was a polished type containing the SS motto, Meine Ehre Heisst Treue (My Honor is Loyalty). Early examples bore one of three district stampings on the lower reverse crossguard of I, II, or III. 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 fine early M33 EM/NCO Dienstsdolch service dagger was produced by a well-known maker: Richard Abraham Herder, located in Solingen. This is a known producer of SS daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after. The rear of the dagger is marked with their oval trademark logo:

RICH. ABR. HERDER
(DIAMOND LOGO)
SOLINGEN

The Herder name is well known in Solingen, and this branch originally registered in 1884 as a steelware maker. As time went on they specialized in Drop Forging, and supplied blade blanks to Erfurt Arsenal and other companies. During the Third Reich period, they continued to make their own edged weapons, as well as supply blades to smaller makers. The "oval" style trademark was specifically used on the blades of early SS and SA daggers made during the Third Reich, per J. Anthony Carter's work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS.

The blade on this example is in very good condition, still showing the original factory final grind crossgrain throughout both sides of the blade. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There are a few spots of light oxidation staining, but this blade is definitely quite a bit better than those we usually see, which often have none of the grain remaining. The edge is correctly unsharpened, and there is just a bit of rounding to the tip of the blade from wear. The SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (Loyalty is my Honor) is crisp with little wear, still showing much of the original factory darkening. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour, and is solid in the grip.

The crossguards of this dagger and tang nut are in good condition throughout, and are of the earliest solid nickel silver construction. They have smooth surfaces, good crisp edges and precise accent grooves. They do show some wear, and look to have been cleaned at some point, so they are relatively bright and shiny. The cross guard is marked with a Roman numeral I on the reverse side, for the first SS district. There is no lifting of the finish, showing these are indeed solid nickel silver. Per a customer request, we checked the inside of the guards, and both are marked P. A. on the inside, as with other examples we have handled by this maker.

The ebony grip is a lovely example, which doesn't have any cracking or chipping we can see, definitely a rarity due to how brittle the wood can be. The color is very good, and wood grain can be seen. The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o'clock, as it should be. The silvered SS symbol and double circles around them have a nice matching patina with the nickel still intact, with a little verdigris and complete enamel. The grip eagle is the "high-necked" type with the beak pointing slightly up. It remains in crisp condition, showing little wear to the bird's head, breast and wing feathering and to the talons, wreath or swas. It is made from aluminum, so this dagger was probably made towards the end of the early period.

The scabbard shell is a solid example, with a steel shell showing some denting on the top and reverse from service, which does not interfere with sheathing the blade. The shell originally had a black "anodized" blued finish, which was then lacquered to protect it. This example has had most of the lacquer wear away, however the anodized finish is still very well retained in many areas. There is some wear, around the edges, which makes it look a bit brown, but this definitely was originally black. The matching solid nickel silver scabbard mounts are in very good condition, looking to have been polished recently. The lower ball a bit dented in, common with the softer nickel alloy. All four dome-headed screws are still present holding the fittings in place.

Attached to the scabbard is a very nice leather belt hanger, which is the wartime style with a non magnetic buckle and plated steel end clip. The leather has the correct black finish, showing light wear from use, and still retains the keeper loop. It is marked on the back with an SS RZM code, which reads (ᛋᛋ) 48/35 (RZM), which is still easily legible. Unfortunately there is little to no information on the SS RZM codes, so there is not really any way to identify the maker. The plated steel belt clip is marked with marked with a "barred A" followed by D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reiches Gebrauchs Musterschutz) - meaning it is a protected patented design under the Reich Government. This design was registered to the owner of the "Barred A" trademark, F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a large maker of belts, buttons, and other accoutrements.

A very nice early SS dagger by a desirable Solingen maker, complete with scabbard and SS-marked Hanger! Lots of history to this fine dagger, which is more than ready to display!

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