Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting German WWII SA Dagger, which features a wartime RZM marked blade, but also looks to feature entirely early pattern fittings. We do not know if pre-existing fittings were used for a newly produced blade, or whether perhaps the blade was broken, and the owner acquired a new one to replace it. The blade was made by rare maker C. Rudolph Jacobs, Stahlwarenfabrik of Solingen-Gräfrath. The dagger comes complete with an early pattern scabbard, which is in very good condition. This is definitely a dagger with an interesting history to it!

The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, which are of the earliest pattern construction. The cross guards and tang nut are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice lightly aged patina. There is however no Gruppe/Gau marking on the cross guard, so it was produced after 1935. The pommel nut is steel but does not show much turning, and hilt is mostly solid on the tang.

The grip is a fine product having a lovely red mahogany brown brown color, with a medium center ridge construction. There is some light wear and pressure denting, however there is no cracking or chipping we can see, definitely a rarity on these daggers. The stain used on the grip can cause the wood to become brittle, and the pressure from the guards can cause the wood to split. The grip fits the crossguards nicely, with no wobble we can feel. The symbol button is nicely set, and still has most of the translucent enamel intact, with a bit of verdigris surrounding the emblem. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. Most of the details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas. There is a bit of wear as well as more verdigris oxidation, showing that is the correct solid nickel silver for an early pattern eagle.

The blade of this example is in great condition, with the factory final grind cross grain retained on most of the blade! This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. We do not see any evidence of post factory sharpening, though it definitely has been cleaned a bit, on the last three inches, which looks to have at one time had some light oxidation, now cleaned away. There is also the usual wear from the scabbard runners, present on just about every German dagger out there. The dagger retains the original factory "blunt" edge, with some small dents / chips, and a bit of bending / deformation near the tip. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, retaining about 50% of the factory darkening, with the rest removed by cleaning.

The rear is etched with the RZM contract information:

This marking indicates the dagger was made by RZM Dagger contractor "34", which records show is for the rare maker Carl Rudolph Jacobs, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory), located in the Gräfrath district of Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, this metalworking business was first founded in 1912 and registered with Solingen authorities May 1st 1930. They made knives, razors and razor blades, as well as also a few early-type SA and NSKK daggers with their Double Oval trademark. It is possible that This knife was produced after they were given an RZM code, or maybe sent back for repair. Definitely some good research potential here!

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 81 stands for C. Rudolph Jacobs of Solingen-Gräfrath.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the early-war style, which were produced with a brown "anodized" finish on the steel, which was then lacquered. This example has lost almost all of the lacquer with some still present near the fittings. It however still retains most of the anodized finish, with a few small dents, and some staining and oxidation spots on the reverse. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, with a great look and some dents and scratches showing typical wear. The chape is a bit dented at the end, as the nickel alloy is somewhat soft, making this a common thing to see. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all four of the original dome-headed screws are present.

A very interesting SA dagger with an RZM marked blade by a very rare and desirable maker, complete early pattern fittings and the correct scabbard. Ready to research and 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.