Original Item: Only One Available. This very nice condition mid war period produced SA Dagger is made with nickel-plated fittings throughout. The crossguards and tang nut are made from non-magnetic alloy, most likely zinc-based, and still have almost all of the plating intact, with a lovely oxidized patina. The steel tang nut shows 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 good condition with great grain, and fits the crossguards well. There are some small dents from service, and a small chip near the pommel guard. The SA symbol button is nicely set having fully intact translucent enameling, and the plating intact with overall light oxidation as shown. The inlaid eagle does show wear, with the plating completely worn off the copper alloy base, however the details are still mostly there.

The blade of this example is in very good condition, showing much of the original factory final grind crossgrain, which confirms the authenticity. It does show the usual runner wear on both sides, and there is also some light peppered staining and oxidation, which we have left intact to preserve the history of the dagger. The edge is correctly unsharpened. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still quite crisp, however the factory darkening is mostly missing due to cleaning.

The rear is etched with the RZM contract information, partly obscured by rust:

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 has just a bit of scuffing and the usual crazing in the finish, with only small areas of finish loss, and no dents we can see. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching nickel-plated steel mounts. These show lovely patination, with plating loss on the bottom of the drag, which has now oxidized. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws.

A very nice example of a mid to late 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.