Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great example of a rare early war transitional pattern NSKK Officer's Dagger, with the correct "Chained" scabbard. As it is an early war transitional type, it features nickel plated fittings throughout. These daggers are identical to the SA dagger, except they have a black finished scabbard, which in this case is the officer's example with a chain.

We have examined the scabbard and the chain, and while the scabbard is original, the chain is a replica, almost certainly an "Atwood Production" example. Major Jim Atwood was one of the pioneers of Third Reich dagger collecting. During the 1950's while stationed in Germany he would travel to the blade making region of Solingen buying up daggers and surplus unused stocks of dagger parts. From these parts he constructed many daggers. Some were conventional "parts daggers" but others were made up with the addition of newly made parts. Jim Atwood was a true pioneer in the hobby of Third Reich Dagger collecting. No true reference book was available when he wrote his in 1962. It was the only reference at the time where information concerning the origin of the daggers and the companies that manufactured them could be found. The book also identified some of the many daggers types for the first time.

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 some finish chipping in areas along the sides and the back. There is also some scuffing as well as crazing in the finish. The upper, middle, and lower fittings are nickel-plated steel, with a great look and just some light wear. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original dome headed screws, which do not show any signs of turning.

The daggers themselves were the same for both the enlisted and officer members of the NSKK and SA, and this fine genuine example was made by the by the legendary firm Carl Eickhorn of Solingen, the "City of Blades" in western Germany. This company had made NSKK and SA daggers since the Röhm era, and continued to produce them throughout the war. This dagger has a combination of early and middle production features, making it a very interesting piece!

The dagger has very nice fittings, which are the correct nickel-plated alloy on an RZM marked example. These are in very good condition, showing only light oxidation and a bit of lifting near the grip. The grip is a fine product having a lovely mahogany red color, with medium center ridge construction, with some light wear and a few small dents. The grain is lovely on this example, with some great color variation. This grip is in excellent condition and fits the crossguards nicely, with no cracks or chunks missing, and a lovely polished glow. The pommel nut shows no turning, and is nickel plated steel, which shows some oxidation. The hilt is still tight on the blade on this fine Eickhorn example.

The SA / NSKK symbol button is still nicely set, and still has all of the translucent enamel intact, with the nickel plating showing some oxidation. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. It looks to be nickel plated zinc, and has had the plating mostly wear away with some oxidation still present. However, the details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross).

The blade is in fantastic condition, showing ;most of the original factory final grind cross grain on both sides. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There are a few areas of very light staining on both sides, and there is also light runner wear, as with virtually all original German daggers. The blade does show cleaning, which has made the cross grain faint in areas. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, with the factory darkening mostly worn away.

On the rear of the blade, there is the (RZM) logo over M 7 / 66, with a 1939 date underneath. Under this the blade is etched with the complete Eickhorn trademark: a seated squirrel holding a sword, with the firm's name and location, Eickhorn / SOLINGEN below. Due to cleaning of the blade, the darkening in the etched markings has mostly been removed, but they are still clear. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany.

According to J. Anthony Carter's book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this marking pattern was seen on SA and NSKK daggers made circa 1940. The 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, 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 firm Carl Eickhorn of Solingen.

A great transitional period NSKK dagger from the most famous of all Solingen Makers, complete with a very good original scabbard and "Atwood" replica hanger. 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.