Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf AH. Under the direction of the infamous Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe. The SS dagger was introduced in 1933. Early on, members of the SS were awarded their daggers during a ceremony at the Feldherrnhalle Memorial in Munich. The annual ritual, charged with mysticism and meant to evoke the traditions of medieval Teutonic knights, was held on 9 November, the date of the unsuccessful Munich Putsch of 1923. Both officers and enlisted men wore the identical dagger until 1936. After this time, only enlisted men wore the M1933 dagger.

The SS Dagger was equipped with nickel cross guards with an ebony wood grip. The black grip contained a National eagle with swas insignia recessed in the center area and an ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) button inset at the top. On early examples the scabbard shell surface was factory blackened using a metal bluing process. The scabbard had nickel mounts. The SS blade was a polished type containing the SS motto, Meine Ehre Heisst Treue (My Honor is Loyalty). Early examples bore one of three district stampings on the lower reverse crossguard of I, II, or III. Early examples were mostly hand-fit. Production of later examples was more standardized, using cheaper, nickel-plated fittings with black painted scabbard shells. They could be held with a standard belt hanger, or a much rarer vertical hanger.

This is a lovely example of the early style of dagger, complete with a scabbard and rare vertical hanger! It also came to us with a note giving the provenance of the dagger:

German SS Dagger Boker
from veterans estate EDWARD RAY FEAGINS
36TH [INF] ID. Landed at ANZIO into Italy, France
Germany. This from his surviving Children. Passed
I Believe in 2009.

We were able to locate his online obituary, linked here: ED FEAGINS Obituary (2012), and he looks to have passed in 2012, not 2009. This does show that he was a member of the Texas 36th Infantry Division, and indicates he saw service in Italy, France, and Germany. Definitely some great research potential here!

The blade is marked on the reverse with the Heinrich Böker & Co., Baumwerk famous "framed" Baum (Tree) trademark logo, with BÖKER / SOLINGEN at the bottom. The company is a famous and desirable manufacturer, founded in 1869 in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. They were a known producer of SS daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after, and we have had several examples from Böker before. The company exists today, and has a long and storied history of top quality blade production. Knives made by this maker are highly desirable, and extremely rare on the market. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The blade on this example is in good to very good condition, and still shows the original factory grind cross grain on much of the blade, except where it has been worn smooth by the scabbard runners. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It has however suffered some staining and oxidation, which we have left intact to preserve the history of the blade. Many of the SS daggers we see have had blades showing substantial rusting, so this is definitely in well above average condition. The SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (Loyalty is my Honor) is crisp with little wear, still showing almost all of the original factory darkening. The edge has correctly not been sharpened, and there is just the tiniest bit of deformation on the blade tip. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower cross guard contour, and is solid in the grip.

The guards of this dagger and tang nut are in good condition throughout, and are of the earliest solid nickel silver construction. They have smooth surfaces, good crisp edges and precise accent grooves. They show some patination and verdigris near the wood grip, with a bit of light oxidation elsewhere. The cross guard is marked with a Roman numeral I on the side, for the first SS district. There is no lifting of the finish, showing these are indeed solid nickel silver. Per a customer request, we checked the inside of the guards, and both are marked with a raised F and B, and the cross guard also has a number 9 stamped into the metal. We have seen these same maker markings on several other examples of early issue SS daggers.

The ebony grip is a great example, the best we have seen in some time! The ebony wood used to make the grip is unfortunately brittle, and the treatment used to give it a uniform look exacerbates this. However on this example we has no chips or chunks missing, and we can discern just a hairline crack near the crossguard on the obverse. The color is very good, and wood grain can be seen, which combined with the overall condition really makes this a fantastic grip. There is just a bit of pressure denting and scratching from service in the wood. The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o'clock, as it should be. The silvered SS symbol and double circles around them have a nice matching patina with the nickel still intact, with a little verdigris and mostly complete enamel showing a few chips. The nickel grip eagle is the "high-necked" type with the beak pointing slightly up. It remains in crisp condition, showing little wear to the bird's head, breast and wing feathering and to the talons, wreath or swas.

The scabbard shell is a very good example example, with a straight steel shell showing very little in the way of denting. The shell originally had a black "anodized" blued finish, which was then lacquered to protect it. It looks like the lacquer and finish must have worn away during the war, and it was repainted with the black enamel used on later issue scabbards. This now shows checking and crazing from age, so it was definitely done during the WWII period. The matching solid nickel silver scabbard mounts are in good condition, with a lightly oxidized patina. The lower ball is dented in, common with the softer nickel alloy. All four dome-headed screws are still present, with some oxidation on the throat screws due to contact with the leather of the hanger.

The scabbard is held securely in the extremely rare leather vertical hanger, topped with a nickel hanger clip, which is attached to a belt hanger with a plated steel loop. The leather is in very good condition, still supple without any tears or or major issues. It only shows wear and flaking to the finish, expected on an 80 year old leather item. These are extremely rare in any condition, but especially when they are fully intact. There is no maker mark, but that is not uncommon. Attached to the clip is a leather belt loop with a plated steel D ring.

A very nice early SS dagger by a famous Solingen maker, captured by a known USGI and complete with the scabbard and rare vertical hanger! Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8 3/4"
Overall length: 13 3/4”
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 10”