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The SA or Brown Shirts, were a private political formation which Adolf Hitler 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 brown painted.

SAEML - 002 - 26844 - LATE DOUBLE PROOF SA - RZM M7/5 CARL JULIUS KREBS

This later-produced example has a rarely seen double proof mark. I do not remember handling one with the Krebs marking, so this should be of interest for those SA collectors who specialize in this type of thing. Unfortunately, the dagger is not in a near mint state, but it is not too bad either. The cross guards and tang nut are the nickel plated variety. They have fairly good plating, although the upper guard has lifting where it meets the grip on both sides and also some lifting around the top edges. The tang nut has the signs of someone long ago improperly taking it off with a pair of pliers. The bottom cross guard, overall, is still fairly nice. The grip is a medium contour ridged style having a pleasing grain just below the surfaces. It is a fine tea colored brown. This grip is in perfect condition throughout and fits the cross guards quite nicely. The SA runes button is in place, being turned slightly to about 5:00. The enamel, though, is perfect. The grip eagle is an aluminum type. It is the style with “high-necked” bird and all details are visible throughout the head, breast feathering, wing feathering, wreath and raised swastika. Since this eagle does not show much wear, the deterioration of the cross guards is from time alone. The scabbard of this example is a typical RZM type. The shell is straight throughout and has the chocolate brown color paint. It is possible to see the roughed metal surfaces below which run across the scabbard. This is indicative of the RZM’s desire not to bother with primer paint. All in all, this paint has held up quite well, having just minor signs of carrying here and there. The paint, though, is about 98% and still has brightness to it. The scabbard fittings are the nickel plated steel variety. This plating has held up quite well and both of the fittings are in excellent shape, showing only minor age. These fittings are retained by the original dome head screws which appear unturned. The blade of this example is still mostly bright and does have a lot of its original graining. Unfortunately, there are some stains in the surfaces which are almost pits. There are some on the beginning areas of the obverse and some deeper type on the reverse of the blade. The motto, though, is still crisp and has about 95% of the original darkening. The reverse ricasso is etched with a large double circle which is the shaded type having the RZM in the center. It is placed over the code of this firm “M 7/5". Below this is the oval logo of this company. Inside of the oval is the firm’s name and location “Carl Julius Krebs Solingen”. In the center is a crown over the capital letter “K”. This blade rates at only excellent because of the staining. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower cross guard contour. Not a real bad dagger here and, if you need this double proof until you can find a better example, this would certainly be a good space filler.
Excellent Minus. $495.00(#031808)

SAEML - 003 - 26888 – EARLY SA – MALSCH & AMBRONN

This is a fine, early SA dagger. It has not been cleaned for some time, and the nickel fittings throughout have taken on a nice, dull yellow patination. The cross guards are solid nickel and they are nice and crisp throughout the smooth surfaces. The tang nut does not appear to have been turned in many years. The reverse lower cross guard is Gau. marked “Sa”. The grip is a very nice example having a smooth to mid-style ridge construction. This grip appears to be a mahogany wood and has a most attractive grain running vertically in the surfaces. The grip is beautifully formed and perfectly fits the cross guards. The SA runes button is in perfect condition and the nickel grip eagle is the style with high neck. This bird has good detail remaining to the head, breast feathering, wing feathering, wreath and raised swastika. An outstanding hilt here! The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has excellent anodized finish, being the purple darker color type. The anodizing appears to be all be there and there is also much of the original factory protective lacquer in place. This is really a nice scabbard! The shell is fitted with matching nickel mounts. These mounts are in perfect condition to include the lower ball which has never been dropped. The original nickel screws are in place and appear unturned. There is also a good short hanger in place. This short hanger has excellent, supple leather and is complete with the little retainer loop. The hardware is the solid nickel type and the unmarked clip is the long snout variety. The blade of this example remains nice and bright and appears to have all of its original cross graining. The motto is very crisp and deep, having 100% of the original darkening. This blade would be in a full mint state were there not a couple of minor stains in the surface around the ricasso and a small amount in the “la” letters in the word “Deutschland”. The same stains are on the reverse of the blade. They look as though they could be worked out, though, without too much trouble. Other than this, the blade is in full mint condition. The reverse ricasso is darkly etched with the popular logo of this firm. It consists of a single line dome shape. Within the dome’s top, is the firm’s name “Malsch & Ambronn” and below at the straight side is the town from which this firm hailed “Steinbach”. In the center is a sticklike figure that appears to be working a water hand pump. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower cross guard contour. A nice looking dagger here, and a very popular trademark.
Near Mint. $1,295.00

SAEML - 004 - 26843 – EARLY SA – CARL EICKHORN

This fine early SA has the traditional Eickhorn hilt. The nickel fittings are the style which have the deep accent grooves and good, smooth surfaces. The edges are nice and crisp and the tang nut does not appear to have been out of this dagger for a long time. The grip is a beautiful piece of wood that has a slight “burl” effect below the surfaces at the center area. This grip is of smooth to medium ridge contour. It is in perfect condition throughout and fits the cross guards like a glove. This grip is really of furniture wood quality. The SA button is nicely placed and has perfect enamel finish. The nickel grip eagle is the high-necked variety. All details are visible to the bird’s head, breast feathering, wing feathering, wreath and swastika. The reverse lower cross guard is Gau. marked “Wf”. A very fine hilt here! The scabbard shell is also a beauty. It appears to have all of the anodizing still intact and there is also a lot of original factory lacquer which remains throughout this scabbard. The center area where the hand was positioned shows the most wear to the lacquer, but it still has to be at least 70% - 75% throughout this shell. The scabbard mounts are a fine matching nickel. They are both in perfect condition to include the never-dropped lower ball. The original nickel screws are in place and are unbuggered. There is a slightly unusual short hanger attached. This hanger strap is about two to three inches longer than they normally are. The strap appears to have been custom ordered by the original owner. This fine strap is the same color leather as we normally see; the only difference from a normal strap, other than its length is the fact that it does not have a little retainer loop. It is equipped with early nickel hardware and the unmarked snap clip is the long snout variety. Obviously, this original wearer must have been a tall man, or he preferred his dagger to be dangling in a lower position. Looks great and totally original here! The blade of this example is nice and bright throughout both sides. It may have been a factory redone Röhm dagger but the job is so good, it is very difficult to tell. There is just the slightest bit of difference in the tone of the metal where the trademark is. Assumedly, this dagger once had a Röhm inscription. At any rate, the blade is still in near full mint. The SA motto is deep and crisp and appears to have 99% of its original darkening. The reverse ricasso is etched with the small double ovals. These ovals trap the firm’s name and location, “Carl Eickhorn Solingen”. Inside is a squirrel with a smooth tail. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower cross guard. An outstanding early SA dagger here with the neat feature of the longer style hanger. Near Mint. $1,295.00

SAEML - 009 - 26799 – UNTOUCHED, EARLY SA WITH SERIAL NUMBER

This early SA is pretty grimy and appears to have never been cleaned. The fittings throughout are the solid nickel type. The cross guards still have crisp edges and smooth surfaces with accent grooves that are precise. The reverse cross guard is Gau marked with the capital letter “S”. This stands for “Silesia” which is now an area of Poland. We do not see too many of these “S” marked daggers. In addition to the Gau stamping, just to the left is the original serial number of the SA carrier. This number is “16021”. It is nicely stamped using individual die stampings. These serial number stampings usually represent the number found in the SA man’s Ausweiss book. Someday, we may be able to trace numbers of this nature, but as of today, there is no way that I am aware of. The grip of this piece is a fine, rich brown color having nice vertical graining. The grip is slightly darker at the top and bottom of it. I notice that there is a small repair up at the right side of the grip which appears to have been a piece that came out and was most likely glued in again. It is hard to see, however, and other than this, the grip looks pretty nice. The grip fits the cross guards like a rubber glove. The upper area has a good placement of the SA runes button, and the surfaces are still in good condition. The nickel grip eagle is the style with beak which points upward slightly. This eagle shows some mild surface wear, but the details are still there to the head, eye, breast feathering, wreath, wing feathering and raised swastika. The scabbard shell of this example is straight throughout. It has pretty good original anodizing which appears to be mostly still all there. There are some small rust spots that appear in the surfaces, more so on the reverse than the obverse. A good looking shell here, however. The scabbard mounts exactly match those of the cross guards. These mounts are in very fine condition to include the never-dropped lower ball. They are retained by the original unturned screws. These mounts are also patinated to match the cross guards. The blade of this example shows some age but is still mostly bright. This blade has a few stains noticeable in the surfaces, the worst one being a circular style stain at the bottom tip area where perhaps a little moisture was trapped in the bottom of the scabbard. At any rate, the blade still is fairly good and rates at better than excellent. The SA motto is deep and still has most of the original black backgrounds. This backgrounding rates at about 98%. The reverse has a matching etched trademark consisting of double ovals. Inside the ovals is the firm’s name and location “Hugo Rader Solingen”. The interior of the ovals displays two pitchers that are placed side by side with handles outward. The blade shoulders meet the cross guards fairly well, although there is a minor gap on the lower shoulder. It is a normal factory type though, and is nothing to be concerned with. A good dagger here for those out there that collect serial numbered pieces. Excellent. $695.00(#030308)

SAEML - 013 - 26757 – EARLY SA – HERM KONEJUNG (SPECTACLES)

This early SA dagger does not appear to have ever been cleaned. The all-nickel fittings have a nice patination with a golden glow. Chances are, this dagger was hanging on the wall of a smoker for many years. The cross guards and tang nut show no sign of ever being apart. They are real beauties, being in the Böker configuration. These choice fittings have the slightly turned up ends, typical of the Böker production, and those that know SA daggers out there will know exactly what I am talking about. The cross guard edges are still nice and crisp and the surfaces are smooth throughout. The accent grooves are precise. The grip is a dark brown example having almost a purple look to the wood. It is quite beautiful and although I don’t see any grains in the surfaces, the rich color more than makes up for it. This grip is a medium contour construction and is completely perfect throughout. It fits the cross guards absolutely like a glove. The SA runes button is beautifully placed and has fine enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle nicely matches the patination of the cross guards. It is the style with “high-necked” bird. This eagle shows a little wear to the breast feathering and to the bird’s legs. His head, wreath and raised swastika, though, are still in crisp condition as are the open wing feathers. A very fine hilt here! The scabbard shell is a very dark color, which at first appearance, appears to be a gray anodized scabbard. Looking at it though, we think that it is probably a very dark red, that at first glance, gives the impression of being an NSKK/SS type. I think it is not, however. The look of this anodized surface, though, is great and it covers the shell completely, being 100%. The scabbard fittings are the early nickel type and they exactly match the gold patination of the cross guards. These mounts are in choice condition to include the never-dropped lower ball. All of the original screws are in place and are unturned. The obverse of the scabbard at the top area has a slight “bb” dent and the reverse has a slight crease dent in the same area. They are so small though, there is no reason to disrupt the dagger to remove them. Very choice scabbard here! The blade of this example is mirror bright and has all of its cross graining visible. It shows only mild in and out wear, but is still in mint condition. The SA motto is deeply etched, having a fine, dark background which is in 100% condition. The reverse ricasso is matching darkly etched with a dual ellipse. The ellipse contains the firm’s name and location “Herm. Konejung Solingen A.G.”. On the inside is a pair of spectacles which is used as the company’s logo. For obvious reasons, this is a popular trademark. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower cross guard contour. A very fine SA dagger here, especially with the dark scabbard and fine nickel fittings. Untouched Near Mint. $1,195.00

SAEML - 015 - 26725 – LATE SA – RZM M7-80 (C. GUSTAV SPITZER)

This later-made SA dagger has fairly good nickel plated cross guards. The plating is beginning to freckle in some areas and there is some mild loss of the surface plating on the back side of the obverse cross guard. These cross guards are also in the shape of the Böker configuration. The tang nut is also in good condition, having fine plating. This dagger does not appear to have ever been apart. The grip is a typical RZM type, being of a lighter color wood having vertically running grain. This grip is in perfect condition, having high-ridge contour and fitting the Böker guards perfectly. The SA runes button is nicely placed with fine enamel surfaces. The grip eagle is an aluminum variety. It is the style with beak which points upward slightly and because of its positioning at the apex of the center ridge, there is some wear to this bird. Most of the detail is gone to the head, breast feathering and some of the wreath. The swastika is still quite prominent, as are the wing feathers. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. It has a darker chocolate brown color which has spidering on the reverse. On the obverse, in addition to the spidering, there is also some rust spots towards the lower area. Overall, though, the paint is not bad and rates at about 90%. The scabbard mounts are the nickel plated over steel variety and they still retain their original brightness. The lower ball is in choice, never dropped condition. These mounts are retained by dome head screws, most of which have lost their plating. The blade of this example is still bright, having all of its cross graining. Unfortunately, though, there are a few stains in the surfaces. They are spread out on the reverse area. On the obverse, the blade is mostly free of stains except for the ricasso area, which has a rather large stain about the size of a pea. Some of this could be cleaned out, however, by the next purchaser. The SA motto is nicely etched, having very dark backgrounds. This motto has easily 100% of the darkening. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with a double RZM circle which is shaded in the center. The circle is positioned over the Spitzer code “M 7/80”. Beneath this is the date the dagger was produced “39”. The blade shoulders nicely fit the lower cross guard contour. A decent SA here which I recently purchased from the family of a Veteran. Excellent Plus. $595.00(#022608)

SAEML - 025 - 25661 – Mid-period SA with aluminum crossguards RZM M7/19 1938 (Ed Wusthof)

This is an interesting mid-period SA dagger. Instead of the usual nickel-plated crossguards that we see from this vintage, this producer (Wusthof) elected to use aluminum crossguards. We see these guards occasionally on SA as well as SS daggers and, of course, they were a staple on the NPEA type produced by the Burgsmueller firm. These aluminum crossguards show some age and surface usage, but overall, they are still in good condition. The tang nut is also matching aluminum. The grip is a smooth contour type, having little grain, if any, in the surfaces. It is a medium, non-descript, brown color. The grip, however, is in perfect condition and fits the crossguards like a glove. It appears as though there may have been a factory coating over the grip at one time, giving it a better look, but now this covering has mostly worn off, revealing the bland wood below. The Runes button is in perfect condition and the grip eagle is a nickel type, being the point-behind-the-head variety. The eagle has good detail to the head, breast feathering, wing feathering, wreath and raised-out swastika. A decent hilt here. The scabbard shell is completely straight on the obverse, having a tiny ripple on the reverse, but it is nothing. This scabbard reflects good, original chocolate-brown paint. The paint shows some scratching and usage, but overall, it is about 99%. The scabbard is equipped with nickel-plated mounts that still retain their factory bright plating. These mounts are in perfect condition having all four-domehead screws in-place and still retaining their plating. Nice scabbard here. The blade is still bright and nice on the obverse, having just a small amount of smudge on the surfaces, but it is not bad and probably could be cleaned out. The reverse has a little bit more smudge and some slight staining. Overall, though, this blade is still in near mint condition as it has most of its crossgraining and the SA motto is crisp and deep with full, 100% dark background remaining. Not a bad blade here, which, with a little effort, could result in a lot better example. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with a small, open, single, RZM circle at the left side and to the right, has the code of the Ed Wusthof firm, “M 7/19.” Below this is the date of production, “1938.” The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower contour of the aluminum crossguards. This is an interesting dagger for the “type” collectors of SA’s out there. Exc. $550.00(#030308)

SAEML - 029 - 25603 – Late SA by RZM M7/42 (WKC)

This later produced SA dagger is still in choice condition. The nickel-plated crossguards reflect their original factory brightness and show only the slightest of age. These crossguards are very nice indeed! The tang nut also matches perfectly. The grip is a fine wood, which appears to be mahogany. It has furniture-like grains in its surfaces and is much more pleasing than the normal RZM style grips. This grip has medium contour ridge construction and it remains in perfect condition throughout. It also fits the crossguards perfectly. The SA Runes button has 100% enamel. The grip eagle is an aluminum type portraying a bird with beak pointing upward slightly. There is wear to the bird’s head and breast area, but the wing feathers, wreath and raised out swastika still are quite crisp. The scabbard is also a fine example. This scabbard shell is straight throughout and has a darker, chocolate brown paint job. This original scabbard paint has only a couple of chips, but still easily rates in near mint condition and is at least 99%. The scabbard mounts retain their factory brightness throughout the nickel plating. They are in choice, perfect condition and are retained by unturned domehead screws, which are unbuggered. There is a short hanger. The short hanger shows some age to the leather and the little retainer loop is missing. The plated fittings are a little bit dull with some rust on the reverse of the snap clip. This snap clip is an RZM marked variety with the code, “M5/7.” The hardware of this hanger will clean up some. The blade of this example is nice and bright and retains all of its crossgraining. This blade is in mint condition. The SA Motto is crisp and deeply etched, having all of its background darkening. On the reverse ricasso, there is a double, open-style RZM circle, which is positioned over the code, “M7/42,” which is the code for the WKC firm. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower crossguard contour. A nice, later-produced SA dagger. Near mint. $550.00

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