Original Item: Only One Available. This very nice condition early war period produced SA Dagger is made with nickel-plated alloy fittings throughout. The dagger shows signs of light use, with most of the condition issues coming from age and oxidation. The cross guards are made from non-magnetic alloy, most likely zinc-based, and still have most of the plating intact, with some flaking and oxidation near the wooden grip. The steel tang nut also shows some plating bubbling, but there are no signs of having been messed with, and the hilt is still tight to 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 condition with great grain, and fits the guards well. There are some small dents from service, and it is cracked on both sides by the pommel guard in the middle. There is also some hairline cracking near the cross guard. The SA symbol button is nicely set with intact plating and lovely translucent enamel, showing a bit of oxidation. The inlaid aluminum eagle is in great shape, showing minimal wear.

The blade of this example is in good condition, showing the original factory final grind crossgrain throughout the blade. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The blade does however have oxidation staining in areas on both sides, and some signs of past cleaning. There is also the usual runner wear on both sides. The edge is still correctly unsharpened, showing a few dents, and remarkably the acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still very crisp with much of the factory darkening.

The rear is etched with the RZM contract information, which is fully visible.

This marking indicates the dagger was made by RZM Dagger contractor "66", which records show is the legendary maker Carl Eickhorn, located in Solingen, the "City of Blades" in western Germany.

According to J. Anthony Carter's book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all Solingen makers. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers.

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 66 stands for Carl Eickhorn of Solingen.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has very good original brown enamel paint. It shows a lovely pattern of crazing and checking, confirming the age and that it has not been repainted. There are some areas where the paint has chipped / flaked away, showing the steel body of the scabbard, which has just a bit of oxidation. The scabbard shell is fitted with fine nickel-plated steel mounts, which show only minor oxidation and wear, with a bit of denting on the lower ball, common even on the steel types. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws.

A very nice example of an early war pattern SA dagger from a legendary maker, complete with 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.