Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel) 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 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAPsmand eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe. The SS 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 crossguards with an ebony wood grip. The black grip contained a National eagle with swas insignia recessed in the center area and an SS sigrunne 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 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.

Robert Klaas is a well-known maker that was based in the Ohligs borough of Solingen, Germany, the "City of Blades." It was and still is the blade-making capital of Germany, with a centuries long history of edged weapon manufacture. The firm was founded in 1834 by Peter Daniels Pauls, whose daughter married scissor maker Friedrich Robert Klaas, who inherited the business after his father in law died. It was then passed onto his sons and other relatives. Their trademark "Facing Storks" emblem was first registered in 1893.

The blade remains bright and still retains some of the factory cross grain, which can be seen on most of the blade in the right light. The rear is marked with ROBERT KLAAS / SOLINGEN, surrounding their trademark "Kissing Storks" logo between two plus marks. The blade has very little staining or corrosion, just some light speckling in places. However, it does show quite a bit of use, and some sharpening on the edges. There are a lot of small nicks on both edges, and there is also the usual runner wear on the body of the blade. We would consider this blade to be good to very good condition. The etched SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue is crisp with about 90% of the factory blackening is in the letter fonts in the backgrounds. 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. The cross guard is stamped with the district Roman numeral III. They do show some wear, but nothing major, and have a lovely patina.

The ebony grip is a nice example, though there are some small cracks and chips where the grip meets the crossguards. The black dyeing process for the grips unfortunately causes the wood to become brittle, so this type of age damage is common. The symbol button is positioned well and the enamel surfaces are intact. The silvered SS symbol and double circles around them have a nice matching patina with the nickel still intact. The nickel 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.

The scabbard shell is a solid example, being straight, with just some small dents overall. It is the correct black "anodized" finish, which is retained very well, with areas of wear and light oxidation. The matching solid nickel silver scabbard mounts are in very nice condition. The lower ball has unfortunately been dented in quite far, a common occurrence due to the softer nickel alloy used. Three of the four dome head screws are intact, and do not show any damage.

The leather belt hanger is the correct black finished color, and is in very nice condition, considering the age. There is the expected patina on the fittings, and the leather shows age, but it is still a very nice example.

This is an excellent chance to own a nice condition SS dagger by a well-known maker, complete with belt hanger!