Original Item: Only One Available. This very good condition mid-late war period produced NSKK Dagger has nickel-plated fittings throughout. This example was made by the rare maker C. Gustav Spitzer AG of Solingen. These daggers are identical to the SA dagger, except they have a black finished scabbard. The guards and tang nut are nickel plated alloy, probably zinc or aluminum, and have most of the plating intact, with some lifting and flaking near the grips. There is some oxidation where the grip wood meets the guards, which is typical, but both still have most of the plating, with light wear. There is not any major chipping or dents in the fittings, just the usual effects of age. The grip overall is still tight on the blade.

The grip is a fine product having a fine reddish colored mahogany tone in the surfaces and having medium center ridge construction. This grip is in very good condition with great grain, and fits the crossguards well. There is a chip near the cross guard on both sides, and also cracking near the pommel guard on both sides, particularly around the symbol button. The SA / NSKK button itself is nicely set having fully intact enameling, and the plating intact with some verdigris and oxidation as shown. The details are still there to the inlaid nickel plated eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas. It does however have the "left" wing protruding slightly out of the inlet, possibly from taking a dent in the middle of the eagle.

The blade on this example is actually quite worn, something we rarely see on German WWII daggers of this type. They have a very thin tang and are not really intended for use, but this example definitely was. The original blade finish is completely gone, showing wear and cleaning on the entire blade. The tip of the dagger is also rounded from use, probably having broken off at some point. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still fully legible, but the factory darkening is all but gone.

The rear is etched with the RZM contract information:

This marking indicates the dagger was made by RZM Dagger contractor "80", which records show is the rare maker C. Gustav Spitzer AG, Stahwaren-Fabrik (Steelware Factory), of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. According to J. Anthony Carter's book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this company was founded in 1863 by Carl Gustav Spitzer, and later registered in Solingen in 1883. It made pocket, sporting, and hunting knives, and by 1928 was owned by Ernst Spitzer. They manufactured several different types of knives during the war, including specifically early SA daggers bearing their lion trademark, and later daggers with their RZM number M7 / 80.

The Reichszeugmeisterei (National Quartermaster's Office), or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 80 stands for C. Gustav Spitzer AG of Solingen.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the mid-war style, which has a black enameled steel body. This is still in very good shape, with no dents we can see, and just some finish chipping in small areas. There is also a bit of crazing and checking in the finish, only achieved after decades, so this is definitely not a refinished example. The upper and lower fittings are nickel-plated steel, with a great look and just some light wear, including the usual denting on the lower ball. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original dome headed screws, which do not show any signs of turning.

The rear of the dagger has a very interesting inscription, which reads:

GAIRARDI FELICE
CALINO
BRESCIA
ITALY

This is definitely a very interesting marking to find on a dagger, as it definitely doesn't sound like the name of a USGI who would bring it back. Perhaps they were an Italian member of the SA? Or maybe they picked it up during the war and used it, resulting in the condition of the blade. Definitely some interesting research potential here!

A very nice service used NSKK dagger from a very rare maker, complete with a personalized 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 and 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.