Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original early production German WWII NSKK service dagger manufactured by Robert Herder of Solingen. It is accompanied by a black painted steel scabbard and a rare vertical leather hanger fitted with an F. W. Assmann & Söhne marked clip. The dagger retains desirable early solid nickel silver fittings, a Westmark group marking, and visible original factory crossgrain on the blade.

The maker Robert Herder is rated 9 out of 10 for rarity on the McSARR (McAlvanah SA Rarity Rating) scale, assembled based on 18,000 daggers as seen by Mike McAlvanah. Makers of this rarity are extremely desirable and sought after by collectors, and it is assumed makers of this rarity are estimated to have only made approximately 1000 daggers during the WWII period.

The pommel and crossguards are constructed from solid nickel silver and display an appealing lightly aged patina. Areas of verdigris and age toning are present, but there is no lifting or flaking of plating because the fittings are solid rather than plated. The nickel alloy tang nut remains in good condition and shows no apparent evidence of turning. The hilt remains tight on the tang, with no noticeable movement.

The reverse of the lower crossguard is faintly group marked:

Wm

This marking identifies the Westmark group, which included the region surrounding Saarbrücken in western Germany. Group markings of this type are characteristic of early Pre-1935 production SA and NSKK daggers.

The wooden grip has an attractive mahogany red brown color, pronounced grain, and a medium center ridge profile. It shows some denting along one side, several smaller pressure marks, and a very fine hairline crack on the reverse near the pommel guard. No large sections are missing.

The inset SA roundel remains firmly mounted, although it sits slightly above the surface of its recess. The roundel shows plating loss and verdigris around its edge, while the enamel remains fully intact. The inlaid grip eagle is the early straight beak style and retains visible detail in the beak, breast, wings, talons, wreath, and mobile swas. Light wear and oxidation are present, consistent with its solid nickel silver construction.

The blade remains in good overall condition and retains visible original factory crossgrain throughout the surfaces when viewed under suitable light, although the pattern has become somewhat faint. This fine transverse finishing pattern is highly important to advanced collectors, as it is one of the primary indicators that a German WWII dagger blade retains its original factory finish and has not been heavily polished, resurfaced, or refinished.

Evidence of past oxidation is visible on the blade and appears to have been cleaned. However, the surviving crossgrain indicates that no extensive overall resurfacing has taken place. The cutting edges remain unsharpened but show several small dents on both sides. A small amount of blade material is missing from the point.

The obverse bears the acid etched motto:

Alles für Deutschland

The motto remains crisp and legible, although most of its original factory darkening has worn away. It translates as “Everything for Germany.”

The reverse ricasso is marked with a "smock mill" style windmill logo of Robert Herder, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelwares factory) over the company address marking:

ROBERT HERDER
SOLINGEN

Located in Solingen, the "City of Blades" (Klingenstadt) in western Germany, this company was founded in 1872 and registered with Solingen authorities in 1901. The company would go on to make all manner of knives, and Paul Herder would take over as owner 1925-1939. This company is known to have made SA and NSKK daggers, as well as some HJ knives, which during the early period were marked with the windmill logo over the name and address. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's seminal work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, pages 273-274.

The accompanying scabbard has a black enamel lacquered steel shell associated with NSKK use. It remains straight and free from dents, retaining more than 95% of its black finish. The surface shows light scratches and minor age related crazing, with the underlying texture of the steel still visible.

The upper and lower scabbard mounts are nickel plated steel and show only light pricking to the finish, with no significant oxidation apparent. The lower ball remains free from dents. The throat has an appearance that coordinates well with the dagger’s crossguards, and all of the original dome headed fitting screws remain present.

The black painted steel scabbard is of a later construction style than the early dagger. Although it forms an appropriate NSKK ensemble, its original issue association with this dagger cannot be confirmed from the supplied information.

The scabbard is secured in a scarce vertical leather hanger fitted with a plated steel spring clip. The primary leather body and lower retaining strap remain supple and show no tears or major structural damage. The upper securing strap and buckle area show deterioration of the original surface finish, including cracking and flaking.

The hanger clip is marked with the Assmann barred “A” trademark and:

DRGM

The barred “A” trademark identifies F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a prominent manufacturer of uniform fittings and related metal accessories. The DRGM marking indicates a registered German utility design. Complete vertical hangers of this type are difficult to locate, particularly with the principal leather components and hardware still intact.

With its early solid nickel silver fittings, Westmark group mark, attractive wood grip, Robert Herder windmill trademark, surviving blade crossgrain, black NSKK scabbard, and rare Assmann vertical hanger, this is a compelling German political edged weapon ensemble. The blade dents, damaged point, past oxidation, grip marks, and hanger finish loss are fully visible, while the combination remains particularly well suited for an NSKK, Robert Herder, early production dagger, Solingen maker, or advanced German WWII edged weapon collection.

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

History of the SA & NSKK-

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.

After the purge, the NSKK, which had been a part of the SA, was split off into a separate organization. They retained the same daggers as the SA, however now used a black painted scabbard, and their officer's daggers had a few differences as well. Many already had SA daggers, so these had the scabbards painted black over the original brown anodized finish.