SPECIALSA #34387C Early SA Dagger with Scabbard Dedication - F. Dick

This early SA has very fine nickel mounts throughout. The tang nut appears as though it has been out a couple of times but it is not bad. The crossguards have very fine smooth surfaces with crisp edges and deep accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked, “Wm”. The fine grip is a very dark mahogany. It has medium to high contour construction showing only the most nominal of usage signs. This grip fits the crossguard like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is nicely placed and has perfect enamel surfaces. The grip eagle is the “high-necked” version. This nickel eagle, because it is placed at the high point of the grip does show a little bit of wear to the bird’s head and breast feathering as well as the talons. The wing spread and the wreath and mobile swastika though are still nice and crisp. A very fine hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has outstanding anodizing which is still at 100%. It is a coppery brown color and on the obverse about 90% of the protected lacquer remains and on the reverse perhaps about 75-80% remains. Very fine anodizing here. The scabbard mounts are in perfect condition to include the lower ball. All screws are present and they are unturned. On the reverse of the upper scabbard mount is a three line dedication, “Für Verdienste / verliehen / Reiterstandarte 43”. This dedication would basically translate, “Given for outstanding service from Reiterstandarte 43”.

The blade of this example is still nice and bright with all of the crossgraining and good tip. It has a minor amount of age that appears here and there but overall, the blade is still easily in near mint condition. The SA motto is deep and crisp with about 98% of the original darkening in the backgrounds. On the reverse the maker mark is the rectangle style which runs north and south on the blade and inside has an arrow which points to the maker name, “F.Dick”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard contour. This is a very fine dedicated SA dagger.

Near Mint $2,795.00

 SPECIALSA #34389C Early Dagger SA with Scabbard Dedication - F.Herder

This early SA dagger is in absolute top condition throughout. It does not appear as though the original owner wore this dagger much, if any. Looking at the tang nut I do not see any signs of the dagger being taken down in modern times. The nickel mounts throughout all have nice patination evenly spread throughout. The crossguards have good smooth surfaces, crisp edges and deep accent grooves. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe marked, “Nrh”. The grip of this example is a dark mahogany type having medium to sharp contour construction. The grip shows only the most nominal of usage signs and remains in perfect condition fitting the crossguards like a glove. The SA runes button is nicely placed having a tap or two on the enamel but no breakage. The nickel grip eagle is the “high-necked” type having full details to the bird’s head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and swastika. A fine hilt here!

The scabbard shell is nice and straight throughout. This shell has 100% of the anodized finish which is a brown coppery color and also 99.9% of the original lacquer. It is very rare to see an anodized scabbard in this outstanding condition. The nickel scabbard mounts are also perfect to include the lower ball. Studying the ball though there is a couple of signs that it was hit a little bit but it is nothing that is detrimental. The original screws are all in place and unturned. This scabbard has a dedication on both the obverse and reverse side. I believe the reverse side is the beginning of the dedication, “seinem / unermüdlichen / Sozialwart / zum 5. Aug. 1934”. On the reverse is professionally engraved, “Sturmbann / I/25”. This dedication would basically translate, “To our tireless Social Worker on 5 Aug 1934 from Sturmbann I/25”. The dedication is extremely well done and professional in all ways. Apparently the SA had men who perhaps helped citizens in their various villages or something of this nature and that was the reason for the gift of this dagger.

The blade is a real beauty being in mint condition having 100% crossgraining and needlelike tip. The SA motto is perfectly etched being extremely crisp and having 100% frosted backgrounds. The reverse blade is in the same fine condition and is matching etched with the logo of this firm being a pair of crossed keys and beneath this, the name, “F. Herder A.S./Solingen”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard contour. An outstanding mint conditioned piece here.

Mint $2,995.00

 SPECIALSA #34390C Early SA Dagger with Blade Dedication - Malsch & Ambronn

This early SA Dagger has very fine nickel mounts throughout the hilt and scabbard. Studying the tang nut it appears as though it has been out a couple of times. These crossguards are fine smooth surfaced examples having crisp edges and good precise accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked “Sa”. The grip is a pleasing wood which resembles mahogany having some attractive burl-like grains in the surfaces. This grip is of high ridge construction and it remains in perfect condition. The grip fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button has a little bit of patination around its edges but the enamel work is still in perfect condition across the surfaces. The grip eagle is a “point behind the head” type. This bird has full details to his head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. A very fine hilt here! The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This scabbard appears to have all of its anodized finish being the lighter brown toned color. The original lacquer is also spread throughout the surfaces being maybe 70-80% on the obverse and slightly less on the reverse only at the center point where the original wearer apparently placed his hand. A very fine anodized scabbard here. The scabbard mounts are in perfect condition, the lower ball having just the slightest of a tap on the reverse left side. It is nothing however. These mounts are retained by the original nickel screws which show some turning but nothing in recent years.

The blade of this piece is completely bright showing almost no age. This blade has outstanding crossgraining and needlelike tip. This blade is in mint condition. The obverse has a very fine deeply etched SA motto with 100% of the darkening in the backgrounds of the letters. On the reverse there is a factory done three line dedication. The dedication is beautifully etched and has the identical darkened backgrounds as the obverse motto. In very large letters the first line cites, “Dem Sieger”. This of course means, “The Winner”. Below this is the detail in letters about half the size of the upper fonts, “Wehr-u.Sortwettkämpfe der Standarte 65/1938”. This dedication means that this dagger was presented to the winner of a defense and sport competition that was held within Standarte 65 in 1938. It is a great looking etch and coupled with a mint blade really makes for a fine item here. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with the trademark of this company consisting of an arch shape containing the figure of a man working a water pump. Above the figure, below the arch line, is the firm’s name, “Malsch & Ambronn” and below the small city from which this company did business, “Steinbach”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. An outstanding SA here with a fine head-turning dedication.

Mint Minus $3,095.00(#091112)

SPECIALSA #34320C Early SA Dagger with Blade Dedication – Ehr. Reich Schweina

This early SA Dagger has all nickel mounts. The mounts have a nice patination, and studying the tang nut it does not appear as though this dagger has been taken apart or ever been cleaned. The crossguards are most interesting in that that are wider than we normally see. These outstanding large guards have smooth surfaces, crisp edges and very precise deep accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked, “Mi”. The grip of this example is an outstanding furniture-like wood having wide vertical grains. The grains are quite prominent throughout both sides. This grip is of High Ridge construction and in perfect condition, fitting the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA Runes button shows some usage over the surfaces, but the enamel still is in perfect condition. The nickel grip eagle is the “beak going upwards slightly” type and it has full details remaining to the bird’s eye, beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. Apparently this dagger was not worn much because the eagle being placed right in the center of the high ridge still has all of its detail. A very fine hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. It has the darker copper color covering and is in fairly good shape but does have some age spread throughout both surfaces. The scabbard mounts are matching nickel and they are in excellent shape throughout, the lower ball having just a couple of minor dings but it really does not show from either side, and there is no crushing or splitting. The placement of the nickel screws on this scabbard are also interesting as the upper screws are positioned much lower than they ordinarily area and the screws on the lower mount are positioned almost at the edge of the border. It is fun to look at all these things as it points out the individuality of each of these small firms that helped fulfill the three million SA dagger orders made in 1934 and 1935. The blade is nice and bright throughout the obverse. This blade has all of its crossgraining and other than some in and out marks is still in near mint condition. The SA Motto is deep and crisp with dark backgrounds, being at about 98%. The reverse blade is still bright but unfortunately some moisture has gathered where the runners touched in two places.

Adding to this blade flaw is the fact that the two stains caused by the moisture are seated right over the beginning and the ends of this three line etched dedication. At least the dedication is still clear however and although the flaws certainly detract from the blade it is great to see one of these rare dedications. The dedication reads, “In treue Kameradschaft / gew. unserem Sturmf. Lochermeier / Schar.12. R 23 / 15”. Although I’m not sure what the abbreviation “Schar” stands for the rest of the presentation reads that, “it is a gift to our Sturmfuhrer Lochermeier in loyal comradeship from Shar.12 R 23 / 15”. There should be enough here for possible research of this blade presentation. The reverse ricasso has the rarely seen trademark of this firm being a set of dual ovals which enclose the firm’s name and location, “Ehr. Reich Schweina”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. An interesting dedicated dagger here by a rare maker and lots of unique traits about the piece.

Excellent Plus. $2,495.00

SPECIALSA #34325C Early SA Dagger – Carl Eickhorn, Large Double Oval Trademark

This early Eickhorn SA Dagger was one of the first of the mass produced types having fine quality throughout and some interesting aspects about it. These early Eickhorn pieces have the “HE” internally marked crossguards and they are readily identifiable by the very deep hand cut accent grooves that grace both of the guards. These guards do not look to have been cleaned and the tang nut looks to have been out maybe once or twice but not much. The guards have good smooth surfaces and crisp edges. The lower crossguard reverse is marked with the Gruppe stamping, “Wf”. The grip is a fine typical Eickhorn example, being made of fruitwood. This wood has some good fine grain running throughout both surfaces. The grip shows only the most modest of wear signs still being in fine condition and fitting the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button has some wearing signs and there is a little tic just to the three o’clock area of the button. The nickel grip eagle is the “High-necked” type. This bird has full details to his eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. A fine hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout having good anodized finish remaining. The shell is beginning to thin a little on the reverse but overall most of the anodizing is still there and there are some lacquer traces in the areas protected by the in place mounts. The nickel scabbard mounts are in good condition throughout to include the lower ball. These mounts are retained by matching nickel screws which are unbuggered. The blade is a real beauty. This blade is mirror bright having 100% of the original crossgraining. Other than the normal in and out marks this blade is in mint condition. The SA motto is deep and crisp having 100% of the background in the letters. The reverse of the blade is in the same crisp condition. This reverse ricasso is etched with the large double ovals which contain the firm’s name and location, “Carl Eickhorn Solingen”. Inside is a smooth tail seated squirrel positioned over the firm’s initial’s, “C.E.”. This is the earliest trademark that we see on Eickhorn daggers. For those that are collecting “types” out there this is a very desirable trademark. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. This is an outstanding initial production SA dagger.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,295.00

SPECIALSA #34299C SA Ground Röhm Dagger - SMF, Small Trademark

This early Ground Röhm SA Dagger is not in terrific overall condition but it is an interesting dagger because of its smaller SMF trademark. It shows that SMF did redesign their trademark like other producers, to give their full Röhm a better look with the inscription encompassing most of the blade. We will get to this further down in the description. The crossguards are all nickel throughout and looking at the tang nut it does not appear to have been out in modern times. The guards have a good patination throughout and the reverse upper guard has some sort of black stain across its surfaces but I’m sure that that would come out with some semi-chrome if someone wanted to remove it. Overall these guards are still in good condition with smooth surfaces, crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe stamped, “S”. The grip is a medium brown color wood having wide grain running vertically. This grip shows some usage signs spread throughout the surfaces and there is a little bit of lifting of just the surface wood where it meets the obverse lower crossguard. The SA runes button is nicely placed with good enamel. The grip eagle is the “point behind the head” bird having excellent detail to his eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell appears to have been period brown painted over an earlier anodized finish. This brown paint though shows quite a bit of age and chipping throughout the surfaces. It was not really a nice job to begin with and time has not done much to change this. The scabbard mounts are the early nickel type and they are in good condition throughout. The lower ball does have a couple of minor dings but it is not smashed or split. These mounts are retained by early nickel screws having some signs of turning in the past. The blade of this example has turned gray color and has some smudge across the surfaces. The SA motto shows a little bit of wear and maybe about 50% of the darkening remains in the letter backgrounds. The reverse of the dagger blade shows some grinding signs where the original Röhm inscription was in place. Additionally, there is some wear across the trademark but what is interesting is that the “seated king mark” is the same as we normally see on SAs except it is smaller. This is an indication that SMF tried to make their Röhm inscription daggers more pleasing to the eye by reducing the size of the trademark. As we know, other firms also did this to include Robert Klaas, Böker and others. It is not often that we see this trademark so it makes this dagger rather collectible despite its condition. It is priced accordingly.

Excellent. $795.00

SPECIALSA #34329C “Last Ditch” NSKK EM Dagger – WKC

This NSKK Enlisted Man's Dagger must have been one of the last examples produced during the period. It reflects many of the short cuts taken at the end of the blade period when there lacked skill to produce the daggers as well as materials to assemble them. This example has nickel-plated crossguards. The crossguard shows some minor age in the surfaces but they look as though they would easily clean up to near mint. The same is true of the tang nut. The grip is a typical RZM type having a high ridge construction. Apparently there was no one left in the factories to inset the insignia into the grip so this dagger’s SA button has its center pin pushed into the wood with the rest of the insignia remaining outward on the grip’s surface. The same is true of the grip eagle. This eagle is one of the late zinc types and it is pushed in by its pins into the grip’s surface but the entire insignia lies on the upper wood. It is also interesting to note that the person who made this installation installed the eagle at the center bulbous area instead of right below the center bulbous where the insignia should be. This grip does not fit the crossguards very good but we do see some RZM pieces in with these kind of gaps. An interesting hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has outstanding original factory black paint. This paint is near 100% and still has its original luster. The scabbard fittings are the usual nickel-plated over steel. It is interesting to note that the upper scabbard fitting has only one screw in the left edge. The other side of the mount has never been drilled for screw placement. It is also interesting to note that the left screw was put in a little bit off of center. The lower mount does have both of the screws in place. Adding further to the enigma of last ditch production is the fact that the blade in this example is not an SA blade. Actually it is an RLB enlisted man’s blade. The W.K.C. firm also made RLB enlisted man’s daggers and apparently they had some of these blades left over whereas the SA blades were long since used up. The blade is of course plain on the obverse and has beautiful mirror finish with 100% crossgraining. This blade is easily in mint condition. The reverse ricasso has the trademarks that we see on only the RLB pieces being a knighthead trademark positioned over the firm’s bold etched initials, “W.K.C.”, and below this the words for weapon’s factory, “Waffenfabrik / Solingen”. The blade shoulders fit fairly well onto the crossguard. An interesting last ditch attempt here and a good one for collectors that are interested in following the history of Third Reich blade production through their collection.

Near Mint. $795.00

SPECIALSA #34317C Early SA Dagger with Crossguard Dedication - F. Dick

This outstanding F. Dick SA Dagger with crossguard presentations is in an untouched state, and has never been apart in modern times. The all-nickel mounts have a dull nickel patination, evenly spread throughout the hilt and scabbard fittings. The fittings are still relatively smooth, with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The reverse lower crossguard is Gruppe marked "S". The presentation is on the top obverse crossguard, and lower obverse crossguard, continuing onto the lower reverse crossguard. The upper guard is jeweler engraved, in outstanding German script "Fur treue Dienste". The lower obverse guard is engraved "Der Sturmbannfuhrer des Sturmbanns I/168/". The reverse lower guard is engraved "Sturmfuhrer Borner". This presentation basically translates "For Loyal Service From the Sturmbannfuhrer's of Sturmbann I/168/". On the reverse guard, the name is probably the person to whom the dagger was awarded, Sturmfuhrer Borner. This is a good opportunity to research this man, because you have the information concerning the group he was with "I/68", his name and rank, and also the "S" Gruppe mark would indicate that the dagger originally comes from the Silesia area. The engraving to this presentation is the best you will see. It is extremely well done and professional in every way. It is one of the best engraved crossguard dedications I have had the pleasure to handle. The grip of this example is a very dark, mahogany wood having a nice grain running vertically. The grip is still in good shape, showing only normal wear. This grip is a medium to high ridge type, and it fits the crossguards like a glove on three sides, and the lower left has just the smallest of a gap. The SA runes button is perfectly placed and has fine enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the style with "beak pointing upward". This bird still has full detail to his eye, beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. An outstanding hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has the darker purple anodizing, which is starting to show some wear, and has some age in the surfaces. Overall though, it is not too bad. The nickel scabbard mounts are in excellent condition, to include the lower ball, which has never been dropped. All of the original nickel screws are in place, and appear unturned. The blade of this example is still bright, having most of the original grain still visible in the surfaces. There is a little bit of smudge here and there, but it is not bad. This blade still grades at about excellent plus plus, and would clean up if someone wanted to take the time. The SA motto is deeply etched, and still retains about 98% of its original dark background. The reverse ricasso is matching etched, with a long rectangle positioned toward the end of the blade. Inside is an arrow, which points to the factory name "F. DICK". The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. A most interesting dagger here, and as I say, should be an exceptional example for research.

Excellent. $2,495.00

SPECIALSA #34302C Early SA Dagger with Blade Dedication - Aesculap

This early SA Dagger has never been apart, and does not appear to have been cleaned in modern times. The all nickel mounts are in exceptional condition throughout, having good smooth surfaces, crisp edges, and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked "Sw". The grip is an outstanding example, having a subtle tiger stripe that runs across the surfaces of both sides. The Aesculap company normally varnished their grips, so you have to look closely to see the beautiful graining, but it is all there, and was probably a spectacular sight when the original varnish was still clear. Either way though, you will be able to appreciate the beauty (and rareness) of a tiger striped grip. The grip is of medium to high ridge construction, and it still remains in perfect condition. This grip fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. The runes button is nicely placed, having perfect enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the style with "point behind the head". This bird still has all details throughout, showing little to no wear. This includes the eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. An outstanding hilt here.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has very dark brown anodizing, which still appears to all be in place. It is possible that this scabbard may have a painted surface, but I'm pretty sure it is anodizing. The original lacquer still appears to be over the surfaces, showing some age cracks, and a few signs of wear, but overall, you will look a long time to find a scabbard this nice. The nickel scabbard mounts are also in perfect condition, to include the never dropped lower ball. These mounts are retained by all four original nickel screws, which are all in place, and are unbuggered.

The blade is a real beauty, being mirror bright, and having all of its crossgraining. Other than the usual runner marks, this blade is in mint condition. The SA motto is extremely dark, and really jumps off this blade, having 100% of the factory backgrounds. The reverse of the blade has an etched inscription, which continues on to the end of the obverse blade. The inscription on the reverse is "Erich Gutheil s. lb. Erich Geissler z. Erinnerung an/". The presentation continued onto the other side of the blade is "Grosse Zeit 1937." This presentation basically reads "From Erich Gutheil in Admiration of Erich Geissler in Rememberance of the Great Time 1937." I guess the real meaning of this could be taken in a number of ways, especially considering the reputation of the SA, but on the other hand, it could also be a remembrance of a fine time these two SA men had while attending the 1938 party day rally. This etching, although well done, does have a little fuzziness, on the outside letters, but overall, it is extremely readable and workmanlike. The company logo is on the reverse ricasso, being double round circles, which enclose the firm's name and location "Aesculap/Tuttlingen". Inside is a crown over a staff having a snake around it. As most collectors know, Aesculap made medical instruments as their main business, so they used this logo on the SA daggers they made during the early time to help satisfy the need of three million SA dagger orders. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. An outstanding dedicated dagger here, with possibilities of research, as we have the full names of both individuals.

Near Mint. $2,495.00

SPECIALSA #34301C Mid-period SA Dagger with Blade Dedication

This mid-period SA Dagger is equipped with all nickel plated mounts. The crossguards are still in good shape, having some minor age freckling in the surfaces, but the plating is all still there. The tang nut also shows some minor age, but does not look to have been taken apart in modern times. The grip is a typical RZM type, having a sharp contour construction. This grip has some nice vertically running grain, which is pleasing to the eye. The grip is in totally perfect condition, and nicely fits the crossguards. The SA runes button has perfect enamel. The grip eagle is a solid nickel type, being the variety with "beak which points upwards slightly". The details to the bird are all there, to include the eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. The scabbard shell is straight throughout. It has factory chocolate brown color paint, and shows some spidering, and signs of carry time, especially toward the bottom reverse area. Overall though, the paint is about 95%. The nickel plated steel based scabbard mounts are in excellent condition, to include the lower ball. They are retained by dome head, unturned steel screws.

The blade is still mostly bright, but does have some smudges on the obverse, and some old pitting that was removed on the reverse ricasso area, extending down a couple of inches. The SA motto is deep and crisp, but most of the original blackening is gone, rating only at about 50%. This blade grades at excellent. The reverse blade has a two line dedication, all done with capital letters. It reads "DEM KAMERADEN GEWIDMET/STURM 3/53". This dedication basically reads, "Given From Your Comrades of Sturm 3/53". There is not much to go on here as far as research, but chances are this dagger was given as a retirement gift, or some other special recognition. An interesting dagger here, and as we all know, blade dedications are rarely seen. The fact that there is no maker mark is probably because at the time this dagger was made, it would have been under the auspices of the RZM. Since this dagger did not conform to RZM regulations per se, perhaps that is the reason why a maker mark was left off.

Excellent. $1,695.00

SPECIALSA #34322C Early SA Dagger with Paneled SA Motto - Carl Eickhorn

This early SA Dagger is an interesting example, because the blade features the SA model within a panel. We will get to this aspect further down in the description. The hilt of this example is a typical early Eickhorn type. It features solid nickel crossguards, probably being the "he" type, but I haven't taken the dagger apart to look, as it appears as though it has never been apart. These crossguards though, are beauties, having smooth surfaces, crisp edges, and the telltale, deeply cut accent grooves. The dagger is not marked with a Gruppe stamping however, the lower portion of the lower guard has the inspection number "4" stamped into the surface. Probably the dagger does not have a distribution mark because it was a custom order piece. The grip is a fine fruitwood, being in perfect condition throughout, and having nice, close graining. This grip has medium to sharp contour construction, and is really in perfect condition. It fits the crossguards like a glove. The SA runes button is perfectly centered, and has 100% enamel. The grip eagle is the "high necked" version, and it shows little to no wear, featuring all details to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, and mobile swastika. An outstanding Eickhorn signature hilt here.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has the darker purple color anodized finish. It shows some minor wear, but is mostly still there, having some age in the surfaces. The scabbard mounts are also in good condition, the lower ball having minor tap to the lower forward side, but no splitting or crushing. These mounts are retained by early nickel screws, which are all in place. The lower screws show a little bit of upward movement, where the scabbard was dropped to make the hit mentioned previously. The shock of the hit though, pushed the lower fitting up slightly, but did not move the screws.

The blade of this example, unfortunately has turned gray. It has some age in the surfaces, and really only grades in about excellent condition. The important part though, is that the blade has the special Eickhorn panel that encloses the SA motto "Alles fur Deutschland". The panel features flanking fleur de lis designs on the panels. Normally when we see Eickhorn blades with this special panel, there will be a dedication on the reverse. For some reason, that is not the case on this dagger. It must have been ordered with just the special obverse panel. The reverse of the blade also has some old pitting, and has turned gray like the obverse. The trademark used on these special panel blades was always the small double oval type. As many of you already know, the small double ovals logo was also used for daggers having the Rohm inscription. These small ovals enclose the factory name and location "Carl Eickhorn/Solingen". Inside is a seated squirrel with serrated tail. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contours. An interesting dagger here, that is extremely rare, but unfortunately is not in good condition. It is priced accordingly.

Excellent. $2,395.00

SPECIALSA #34321C Ground Röhm SA Dagger with Brigade Stamping - E.P. & S.

This Pack SA Dagger is a textbook example, and it is quite interesting with its Ground Röhm blade, and brigade stamping. The crossguards are solid nickel throughout, looking to have been cleaned maybe a decade ago. These guards are the "straight across" type, typical of this producer. The guards show a little bit of activity, but they are still basically nice and straight, with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. Looking at the tang nut, it does not appear that this dagger has ever been apart. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked "Nm". In addition, next to the Gruppe marking, is a brigade stamping with serial number "14/10480". We seem to see the number "14" appearing quite a bit where there are brigade numbers. The grip of this example is one of the rounded constructed type, having a slightly orange look to the wood. It is a typical Pack grip. This grip shows mild usage, but it is still in fine condition throughout, and fits the crossguards absolutely like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is perfectly placed, and has some tapping to the enamel, but no breakage. The grip eagle is the nickel "high necked" type, showing a little bit of wear to the bird's head and breast area, but the wings, talons, wreath and swastika are still crisp. A nice hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout, having the darker purple color material frequently seen with this producer. This anodizing is beginning to wear, and it rates at about 90%, and does have some mild age in the surfaces. The mounts are the textbook Pack type, the upper example being slightly shorter than normal mounts, and the lower mount having the traditional rolled rim that we see on Pack examples. These mounts are retained by the original nickel screws which are all unturned. Attached to the carrying ring is a fine three piece hanger. This hanger appears to have all matching leather, and is most likely original-to-this-piece. Studying the grip area at the upper section, it also appears to show signs of the small retainer loop being snapped around it. The leather throughout the short hanger, belt loop, and retainer loop is all in good shape, and the hanger has the nickel hardware, being stamped on the reverse of the buckle "A" "DRGM'. It is complete with the small retainer loop. The grip retainer loop has a good working snap, and the belt loop is complete with a pebbled surface "D" ring. A nice leather assembly here.

The blade of this example is mostly white on the surfaces, still having its crossgraining, and a little bit of smudge here and there, but it is not bad. This blade grades at excellent plus. The SA motto is deep and crisp, and has a frosted like background, which rates at about 95%. The reverse of the blade has had a very rough grind to the once-present Röhm inscription. There was no regard to polishing out the grind marks, and there are also traces of the original lettering that can be seen here and there. There is a portion of the letter "K" that appears in the word Kameradschaft, as well as the letter "E" in Ernst, and also portions of the umlaut that appears over Röhm's signature. This all makes for a pretty interesting blade. The ricasso area still has the full trademark, consisting of the hammering Siegfried figure with the firm's initials over top and the location on the bottom "E.P.& S./Solingen". The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. A fine, interesting dagger here.

Excellent Plus. $1,895.00

SPECIALSA #34316C Early SA Dagger with Brigade Stamping - WKC

This early SA Dagger has all nickel mounts throughout, and appears that it was cleaned not too long ago. Looking at the tang nut though, it does not appear that the dagger has been apart more than once in the last decade or so. These crossguards have good smooth surfaces, crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The grip is an attractive, deep red mahogany of medium contour construction. The grip is in perfect condition, showing very little usage, and it fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is nicely placed, having a couple of marks across the surfaces, but no fractures to the enamel. The nickel grip eagle is the type with "beak that points upwards slightly". The bird has only modest wear to the head and breast feathering, and the wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika are still crisp. The reverse lower crossguard is Gruppe marked "P". The crossguard is further stamped with a brigade number and serial number "Br. 10 1719.". The brigade and the serial number are on either sides of the Gruppe stamping.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This scabbard has fairly nice anodizing being more of a coppery color. The anodizing is thinning in the center, but I would say 85-90% of it remains. The scabbard mounts are in good condition throughout to include the never dropped lower ball. These mounts are retained by the original nickel screws which are all unturned.

The blade of this example is nice and bright. I do not see a lot of crossgraining in the surfaces, but then again, its brightness tends to overcome this lacking. The SA motto is crisp and deep, having a good frosted background that still appears to be nearly 100%. This blade is in a near mint state despite the lack of crossgraining--maybe it never had any. The reverse ricasso is etched with a rarely seen trademark on SAs, being that of the knight head. Below the knight head, the firm's initials are stamped "W.K.C." and beneath this, the location city of "Solingen". For some reason, WKC did not make very many SA daggers. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. A fine, brigade marked piece here, in good collectible condition.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,495.00

SPECIALSA #34319C Early SA Dagger with Long Blade Dedication - Carl. Jul. Krebs

This early Krebs SA Dagger does not look to have been cleaned since the war. The nickel crossguards and tang nut are all in good condition, and studying the tang nut it does not appear as though this dagger has ever been apart. The crossguards have smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The grip is a lighter color, red mahogany wood, having subtle vertical grains beneath the surfaces. This grip shows only mild usage, and it still remains in excellent condition, fitting the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is perfectly placed and has good, enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the "high necked" type, and all details are still there to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. The reverse lower crossguard is Gruppe marked "He". This Gruppe mark is stamped upside down. The scabbard obverse is straight throughout, whereas the reverse is mostly straight, just having a tiny ding about 2/3 of the way down. This could be removed if desired--just say the word. The scabbard mounts are in fine condition to include the lower ball. The mounts have all four nickel screws in place, and they are unbuggered.

The blade of this example, unfortunately appears to have been severely sharpened at one time, and someone removed the sharpening, but at the same time the width of the blade has been slightly trimmed because of the removal. In addition to this, the blade has turned gray, and the SA motto is beginning to thin quite a bit. The motto is still readable, but the first two words "Alles fur" are becoming slightly vague. This blade is not in good condition, but when the reverse is turned over, it certainly will attract your attention. Etched into the surfaces is a four line dedication. The etching is outstanding, and it is done in English style letter fonts, so it is quite easy to decipher. The inscription reads "Unserm Freund und Kameraden Karl Seifer/fur 10 jahrig aktive Mitarbeit im Kampf um das dritte Reich/gewidmet. N.S.D.A.P. Ortsgruppe Dusseldorf-Zoo./9. November 1935.". This is one of the longest dedications that I have seen on a blade, and basically it translates "To Our Friend And Comrade Karl Seifer for 10 Years Active Service in the Fight for the Third Reich. Given by the N.S.D.A.P. Ortsgruppe of Dusseldorf/Zoo on 9 November 1935.". Obviously the date of November 9 is significant, as this was the anniversary of the 1923 Putsch. Apparently Karl Seifer was one of the early fighters in the SA, coming from the Dusseldorf area, and he was so honored with the gift of this dagger. Perhaps he was retiring, or there was some other occasion to make this gift. Incidently, the word "Zoo" has nothing to do with animals, but in fact is a section of Dusseldorf, mainly being the area where there is a large train station. The maker's logo is also quite vague, but it still can be seen easily having the two oval circles with the firm's name and location inside "Karl Jul Krebs/Solingen". Inside is a crown, over the capital letter "K". The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard curvature.

It is a shame that this blade is not in nice condition, as the presentation is really just short of sensational. There certainly should be enough information here for research to be done on our SA friend Karl Seifer. This would make for a very interesting project for one of our collector-historians. A great blade here, despite the fact that it is not in good condition. The dagger is priced accordingly, however.

Excellent Minus. $2,495.00

SPECIALSA #34323C Personalized SA Ground Röhm Dagger - E.P. & S.

This early SA Dagger does not look to have been cleaned, nor does it look to have been apart. It is a typical Pack piece, having that "certain" look about it once you get used to studying these different makers who produced a lot of daggers. This example has the "straight across" style crossguards, and they have a nice patination throughout their surfaces. These guards have smooth surfaces, with crisp edges, and fine, precise grooves. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe marked "No". The grip is one of those orange color woods favored by this company, and it also is a smooth contour constructed type. Other than a slight rub to the finish between the runes button and the eagle, this grip is in perfect condition, and fits the guards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is a copper type, which is slightly extended outward from its seated place. The enamel has a couple of minor hits to the surfaces. The grip eagle is the "high necked" nickel type, having full details to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. A pretty nice hilt here.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has the darker style purple toned anodizing. The obverse is still pretty good, whereas the reverse has a couple of rubs in the surface, but it is not too bad. The scabbard mounts are in good condition throughout to include the lower ball. The lower mount has the typical rolled edge that we see on Pack parts. The screws are all in place, and appear unturned. The reverse of the upper mount has the original owner's name "A. Michaelis" scratched into the surface. Below this is the year "1931". Since daggers were not being produced at that early of a year, it can be assumed that the year "1931" must have been the date that Michaelis joined the SA. This personalization looks as though it may have been done with one of those "dot" engraving machines. It is not professionally done, but it looks pretty good.

The blade of this example is a very fine one. This blade is bright, and has all of its crossgraining. The SA motto is crisp and deep, having very black backgrounds, being at 100%. It is interesting to note that this blade once had a Röhm inscription, which can only be told by the fact that most of the E.P. & S. logo is taken out of the blade. The rest of the blade has been beautifully resurfaced, having great factory crossgraining. This blade is also mint on the reverse. The only thing that really shows on the logo is the bottom of the hammering Siegfried, and the location city of "Solingen". There is no mistaking though, the origin of this piece. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. A nice Ground SA here, and maybe there are some research possibilities with the personalization.

Excellent Plus. $1,195.00

SPECIALSA #34087C Early SA Dagger with Crossguard Dedication - J.P. Sauer

This early Sauer SA piece is an excellent dagger on its own, but it has a fine professionally done dedication also. Many collectors like to have a Sauer piece to display perhaps next to an original Sauer pistol. This example has outstanding early nickel mounts throughout. Studying the tang nut, it does not appear as though this dagger has ever been apart. These crossguards are the typical Suhl type guards, with the lower example having the distinctive curvature. These mounts have smooth surfaces, crisp edges, and precise accent grooves. The reverse lower guard is Gruppe marked "Fr". The grip is the typical walnut style, which is made from gunstock wood. This grip is a medium contour ridge example, having fine brown color with close vertical graining. The grip is in perfect condition throughout, and absolutely fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. This grip is complete with a nicely positioned SA runes button, having perfect enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the style with "beak that points upwards slightly". There is some minor wear to the bird's head and the breast feathering, but the details are still vaguely there. The wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika are still in perfect condition. A very fine hilt here. The obverse of the crossguard has an outstanding professionally engraved dedication. The dedication is from one man to another, assumedly both SA comrades. The dedication reads "PAUL HAUB s/lb. REUTHER HANNS 15.6.34". The abbreviation "s/lb" is for the words of endearance "seinen lieben". This lettering is all done in Gothic format and is quite impressive. It is also interesting to note that this dedication is only two weeks prior to the Röhm plot assassination.

The scabbard of this example is straight throughout. The shell has excellent anodizing, being the more copper color variety. Most of the anodizing is all there, and also a lot of the original lacquer coating. There is cracking of the lacquer, and some age marks in the finish, but overall, it is still excellent. The nickel scabbard mounts are also in fine condition to include the lower ball. Both mounts have all nickel screws in place and unturned. There is a short hanger on the carrying ring. This hanger has excellent leather throughout, missing the small retaining loop. The hardware is the early variety, being solid nickel, and to include a "long snout" clip, which of course, is unmarked. The blade is still bright throughout. It shows some in and out usage and some minor signs of age here and there. But overall, this blade grades at about excellent plus. The blade motto is deep and crisp. About 85 to 90% of the original darkening remains in the backgrounds of the letters. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with a double oval. The oval contains the firm's name and location "J.P. Sauer & Sohn/Suhl". In the center of the ovals is a warrior carrying some sort of a spear. Below the ovals is the start up date of the Sauer firm, "gegr. 1751". The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contours. This is a fine Sauer dagger with excellent dedication. It also brings up the possibilities of research of the two men involved. The fact that we have the full names as well as the date should help some with this project. A very fine dagger here!

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,995.00

SPECIALSA #34104C Early SA Dagger with Vet's Name and Serial Number Taped to the Scabbard - Jos. Schlimbach

This early SA Dagger is in complete untouched condition, having a wonderful patination, across all of its nickel surfaces. The hilt mounts are the Boker type. They are both real beauties, and studying the tang nut, it is obvious this dagger has never been apart. The crossguards have good smooth surfaces, crisp edges, and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe marked "Om". The grip is a fine, even colored brown wood with medium ridge contour construction. It shows a little bit of use here and there, more on the front than the revers, but it is in excellent condition and fits the crossguards absolutely like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is perfectly placed and has good enameled surfaces. The matching nickel grip eagle is the "point behind the head" type showing full details to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and swastika. A nice hilt here! The scabbard shell is straight throughout. Affixed to the obverse scabbard shell surface is some old masking tape, which is probably a medical form tape. It has the name, "Joseph A. Jordan", with Jordan's serial number, "932621". This should be the key to researching this US veteran if the next buyer would like to do so. There are not many daggers that can be truly traced to the liberator himself.

The scabbard anodizing is also in surprisingly good condition. This anodizing is more of a purple color and all of it appears to still be there with quite a bit of the original lacquer. There are some age marks in the anodizing, but it is not bad at all. The scabbard mounts, as indicated above, are nicely patinated and are in perfect condition. Both mounts have all original four nickel screws in place that are unturned. The original short hanger and belt loop are still around the carrying ring. The leather is a little bit floppy, but not bad. The original small retainer loop is also there. The hardware is the early nickel type, with a conventionally shaped snap clip which is unmarked. The belt loop leather nicely matches that of the hanger and it is equipped with a nickel rated "D" ring.

The blade of this example is absolutely pristine mint. This blade has all of its mirror finish with 100% crossgraining. The SA motto is deep and crisp and has 100% of the darkening in the letter backgrounds. This beautiful blade is matching etched on the reverse ricasso with the rarely seen maker "Jos. Schlimbach/Solingen". This maker is listed as a "10" on the McSarr rating sheet. I personally do not remember having more than one or two of this maker in the past, so this is a really good one for those out there collecting maker types and/or condition. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. The area on the lower crossguard that is sealed by the scabbard throat remains nice and bright. A fine dagger here with excellent research possibilities.

Untouched, Near Mint. $1,695.00

SPECIALSA #34105C Early SA Dagger with Scabbard Dedication - F. Herder

This early SA Dagger does not appear to have been cleaned and has good patination throughout its all nickel mounts. The tang nut does not appear to have been removed from the dagger. These hilt mounts have good smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked "Wf". The grip is an even darker brown wood which appears to be mahogany. This wood is of a medium to sharp contour construction. The grip fits the nickel mounts like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is perfectly placed and has fine enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the type with "point behind the head". Most of the details are still there to the bird's head and breast feathering with full details to the wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell is one of the seldom seen types that is painted instead of having an anodized finish. The paint is a dark brown purple color. There is quite a bit of chipping and wear across this scabbard paint. Maybe 50% remains. It is interesting to note that since the dedication of this dagger is dated a late 1936, that perhaps this was a period when the changeover time to paint rather than anodizing took place. The upper nickel mount is in excellent condition, and the lower mount unfortunately has a pushed up ball. There is some splitting on the left side of the ball, but none on the right. The screws are all in place, and show some turning, especially on the lower ones. The upper screws are still in unbuggered condition. The reverse of the upper scabbard mount has a five-line dedication. The dedication is beautifully done in tiny Gothic style lettering. It reads "Unseren/Korporalschaftsfuhrer/Zur Erinnerug/Hans Eck/25.12.36". This dedication appears to read "Given to Hans Eck in memory of the corporal leader staff December 25th, 1936." Perhaps this was a Christmas gift to Eck who was probably the leader of this group. The blade shows a little bit of "in and out" work as well as some age, but the surfaces still remain bright. There is not a lot of crossgraining on this blade, and the backgrounds of the letters in the SA motto only have about 50% of the factory darkening remaining. The blade grades at only excellent. The reverse ricasso is etched with a set of crossed keys positioned over the firm's name and location "F. Herder A.S./Solingen." The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour.

Excellent. $1,795.00

SPECIALSA #34106C Early SA Dagger with Scabbard Dedication - SMF

This SMF SA Dagger is in fine condition throughout, and appears to have been cleaned maybe a decade ago. It has all nickel mounts throughout, and it appears as though the tang nut may have been out once or twice. The crossguards are complete, with good smooth surfaces, crisp edges, and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is Gruppe marked "Wf". The grip is a lighter fruitwood, having an appealing grain, which runs on a slight angle on both sides of the grip. This wood is very nice to gaze upon. The grip is a smooth contour construction, remaining in perfect condition throughout, and fitting the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA button is nicely placed, and has perfect enamel. The nickel grip eagle is the type "beak which points upward slightly". This bird still has good detail throughout his head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. A nice hilt here!

The scabbard shell is also a beauty. This shell still has 100% of the darker purple color anodized finish. This finish also has quite a bit of the original protective lacquer clinging here and there. A very fine scabbard shell here. The upper scabbard mount is in excellent condition, and the lower mount unfortunately does have a bend to the left which did split the seam on the ball. Perhaps a clever talented man could fix this, because otherwise the dagger is really in near mint condition. These mounts are retained by the original nickel screws which are all in place and are unturned. The obverse scabbard mount has a four-line dedication which is all done in capital standard letters. Although it is done by a professional engraver, it is not fancy. The dedication reads "IN TREUER KAMERADSCHAFT/GEW. v. S.A.TRUPP 7/105/TANNENBERGSTHAL/8.6.35". This dedication would mean "Given from SA troop 7/105 in loyal comradeship Tannenbergsthal on June 8th, 1935". Tannensbergthal is a small town located in Saxony. Apparently, this dagger may have been given as a retirement gift, or possibly for a wedding.

The blade is a beauty, being nice and bright, and having needle-like tip and all of the crossgraining visible. This blade shows almost no age and is still in near full mint condition. The SA motto is deep and crisp, with all of the background darkening. The reverse ricasso is beautifully etched with the seated king trademark. The regent holds an upward pointing sword while sitting on the firm's initials, "SMF". Below in an arch is the location town, "Solingen". The blade shoulders nicely meet the crossguard contour. A nice dagger here, and a terrific dagger if someone could fix the lower ball.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,695.00

SPECIALSA #34109C Early SA Dagger with Crossguard Dedication - Pet. Dan. Krebs

This early Krebs SA Dagger has a crossguard dedication and it was certainly worn by the receiver of this gift dagger. The crossguards are all nickel throughout, and it appears as though the tang nut has been apart a few times. The crossguards show some wear to the surfaces, and the edges are still fairly crisp. The accent grooves are precise. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe marked "Ns". The grip is a medium contour ridge type, having a lighter brown color fruitwood grip with some nice graining visible under the surfaces. The grip shows only nominal wear, and is in perfect condition, fitting the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is perfectly placed, having good enameled surfaces. The grip eagle is the "point behind the head" style. This grip eagle still shows full details to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. The obverse lower crossguard begins the dedication, "Gewidmet vun SA Sturm R. 31/92". The crossguard dedication continues on the reverse "Ihren alten Standartenfuhrer Mehlis". This dedication basically translates to "Given by SA Storm R. 31/92 to our old Standartenfuhrer Mehlis". Obviously, this gift was probably made for a retirement or possibly a transfer. The lettering is all professionally done and although it shows a little surface wear here and there, with a few scratches and scuffs, nevertheless it is visible.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. The anodizing on the obverse is still fairly good, and is the copper penny type. The reverse is mostly worn. The scabbard mounts are in good condition to include the lower ball. These mounts are retained by nickel screws, all appearing unturned. The original short hanger is still hooked to the carrying ring. The hanger leather is beginning to become slightly limp, but is still sound. The hanger has the early all nickel mounts, with the snap clip being the "long snout" unmarked type.

Unfortunately, the blade is beginning to turn gray on this piece. There is also a nick in the lower edge. The SA motto is still fairly good, having about 85-90% of its original darkening in the letter backgrounds. The reverse has the trademark of a rarely seen company on SA daggers. It features a shield with a lobster in the center. At the top of the shield in an arch shape in capital letters is the firm name and below the location "PET. DAN. KREBS./SOLINGEN". The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard contours. An interesting dagger here, that would be nicer if it were in better condition, but nevertheless, it is a fine original dedicated piece that is certainly eligible for research. We have the original recipient's name, "Mehlis", and the fact that he was a Standartenfuhrer. We also have the SA group, which is probably a Reiter, which of course, is a mounted SA unit. Good luck to the next purchaser with researching this piece.

Excellent. $1,495.00

SPECIALSA 34116C Late NSKK Dagger with Period-added Center Ramp RZM M7/33 1940 - F.W. Höller

This unusual NSKK Dagger was originally produced as an enlisted man's piece, and most likely due to the demands of the war, an officer's example would have been desired by the original wearer. Apparently the mounts or chain hanger was not available, so the wearer took it on his own to have a center ramp put on to this scabbard. We'll talk about this addition a little bit later in the description. The nickel plated crossguards are typical late examples. Studying the tang nut, it appears as though the dagger may have been apart once, but there is little evidence of a wrench. The crossguards have a little bit of minor freckling, but it is not bad, and the nickeling still covers completely. The grip is an RZM type, being a rather nice quality wood, having a pleasing vertical running grain. The grip is in perfect condition, and it perfectly fits the crossguards. The SA runes button is placed a little bit deeper in the grip than most. It also has perfect enameled surfaces. Instead of a zinc or aluminum eagle, there is an early nickel eagle in the grip. It is the style with "upward pointing beak". The bird still has full detail to his head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and swastika. The eagle is also placed slightly higher in the grip than we normally would see. (As we know, the eagle was placed just below the most bulbous section of the grip). The fact that the runes button is installed slightly different, as well as the fact an early eagle is used in a slightly higher position, lends me to believe that this dagger was produced well into the war when shortages of materials as well as personnel were prevalent.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has a coat of black paint, but the paint appears to be done slightly less than we would expect under normal factory conditions. The scabbard upper and lower mounts are the typical nickel plated steel type, and both are in perfect condition. There has been a center ramp added. The ramp appears to have been constructed out of sheet metal and then soddered at the left edge. The construction of the ramp is slightly haphazard. Again, this points to non-factory assembly. The ramp also has a rather crudely soldered eyelet at the right edge, with a fairly small carrying ring. The standard carrying ring that should be at the upper mount, is now replaced with a ring which is approximately the same diameter as the center ramp ring. Because of the smallness of these rings, there is no question that a hanger using some sort of snap devices was utilized. All of this points to an NSKK man who was appointed an officer, and was not able to get the proper dagger, so he took measures in his own hand, and did what he could to get a reasonable facsimile. The workmanship throughout though, is less than we would see during normal operating times, as most likely there were no available personnel due to the war. I believe all of this to be true, as this type of altertion was certainly not done by some GI or some collector after the war. These mounts, paint, et cetera, are very, very old.

The blade of this example is a fine RZM type, still being bright, and having all of its crossgraining. It has a few very minor signs of age in the surface here and there, but a lot of this might clean out, and even still, the blade grades in a near mint condition. The SA motto is deeply etched, and has near 100% of its original letter backgrounding. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with a double RZM open circle. The circle is positioned over the code of the F.W. Höller firm "M 7/33". Below is the date "1940". The date 1940 is not the earliest date we see on political daggers as some are even dated 1942. This however, does not mean that dagger parts were plentiful at the Holler firm. This blade very well may have been a shelf item that could have been utilized in 1942. Daggers like this are very interesting, and hopefully, thought provoking. This is not the kind of dagger you want to buy as your first NSKK. It is however, a provocative addition for those out there that are interested in collecting political daggers and all of the nuances that prevailed.

Excellent. $1,195.00

SPECIALSA #34117C Transitional Enlisted Man's NSKK Dagger RMZ 7/8 - Ed. Gembruch

This NSKK Enlisted Man's Dagger is an interesting piece, as it clearly shows the use of mixed parts with a small manufacturer. Ed Gembruch did not make a lot of SA daggers, and they even made fewer SS daggers. They more than likely purchased parts in quantities, like any manufacturer would, and when things changed due to the RZM cheapening of materials, they certainly were not going to throw out the parts inventories they had on hand. This dagger is a really excellent example of this type of occurrence. The crossguards on this piece are of solid nickel construction, as is the tang nut. The tang nut does not look as though it's ever been taken down. The crossguards have toned to a fine dull patination. They still have good smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. There is no Gruppe marking on these guards.

It is interesting to note that the upper scabbard fitting is a standard nickel plated type, however, the throat is a nickel example matching the crossguard. It is also interesting in that the carrying ring is nickel, not plated steel, as you would think to see on an upper scabbard mount of this vintage. Adding further to the curiosity factor is the fact that the lower scabbard mount is nickel having matching patination. So, we have a dagger with all nickel mounts, except for the upper scabbard fitting which is plated. For what it's worth, the screws also are early nickel types, and they are in good, unbuggered condition. This dagger simply represents a clear fact of using up of existing parts prior to taking on the plating fittings which would have been used after the nickel mounts were exhausted. Going back to the grip, unfortunately the grip is not in very good condition, but it is also reflective of the transitional period. The grip is a fruitwood type, of medium brown color. It has surface chipping at the upper obverse and reverse, as well as a couple of surface chips on the bottom right obverse and left reverse. They are only surface though. The rest of the grip is in good shape and fits the crossguards absolutely perfect. The runes button has turned to about 4 o'clock, but the enamel still looks to be 100%. A nickel eagle was used in this grip, being the style with "beak which points upward slightly". This bird still has good detail to its head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout, and has excellent original black factory paint. This paint shows some minor spidering on both sides, but overall, it is nearly 100%. The blade is still mostly bright throughout, having all of its crossgraining. There are a few scratches here and there, and on the reverse upper edge, there are some signs that someone might have wanted to sharpen the blade, but gave up very quickly. There is no sharpening to the blade, just the scratches. Overall though, the blade is not bad, and certainly grades at excellent plus. The SA motto is deep and crisp, and has 100% of the darkening in the letter backgrounds. The reverse ricasso has a double open RZM circle, positioned over the code for Ed Gembruch, "M. 7/8". This is a rarely seen RZM mark, by the way. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower crossguard contour. An interesting dagger here, that should prove to all of your friends who disbelieve that parts can be mixed and the dagger still be original.

Excellent. $895.00

SPECIALSA #34118C Transitional ENlisted Man's NSKK Dagger RZM M7/29 Klitterman & Moog

This Transitional NSKK Dagger is a high quality, fine conditioned piece. The crossguards and tang nut are of solid nickel and the tang nut does not appear to have ever been removed. The nickel guards have a very fine dull patination, and have smooth surfaces, crisp edges, and precise accent grooves. There is no Gruppe mark on the lower mount. The grip of this example is a smooth contour type, being of a fine medium colored fruitwood. There is some subtle grain in the surfaces if you look closely. This fine grip is in perfect condition throughout, and nicely fits the crossguards. The SA runes button is perfectly placed with good enameled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the style with "beak pointed upward". The bird has full details to its head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. A very fine hilt here. This dagger is complete with a scabbard having plated mounts. These nickel plated mounts are indicative of post 1938 construction. Apparently though, Klittermann & Moog was using up their earlier fittings, thus the nickel parts on the hilt. The scabbard mounts also have a nice patination, that in the areas around the recesses, matches that of the crossguards. The dome head style plated screws are all in place, and are unturned.

The scabbard shell is straight as an arrow, and has outstanding original black paint. This paint is still in mint condition. The blade of this example is bright, and has all of its crossgraining. There is a little bit of smudge here and there on the blade, but a lot of this would clean out, and I think the blade, it is safe to say, currently rates as excellent plus. The SA motto is crisp, and has about 95% of its original darkening. The reverse ricasso has a double RZM circle with shading in the middle. It is positioned over the code for the Klittermann & Moog firm "M 7/29". This is a very fine dagger, and of course it is of interest to political dagger collectors because of its transitional charachteristics. We know from collecting "M 7/29" SS daggers, that we often see them with plated scabbard fittings, and nickel crossguards. Seeing an SA like this is a great thing, as it puts many of these wonderings to rest. The "M 7/29" code on an SA dagger is not an easy piece to find.

Near Mint. $1,195.00

SPECIALSA #34121C Late "Last Ditch" NSKK EM Dagger RZM 7/66 1924 - Carl Eickhorn

This NSKK Enlisted Mans' Dagger represents a "last ditch" attempt to fulfill an order for an NSKK man. The dagger has some interesting factors about it, which definitely indicate this to be the case. The crossguards are the nickel plated type, as is the tang nut. The plating is still excellent throughout the guards, having some signs of age, but not too bad. The grip is an ebony type, that apparently was loose in a stock bin and had no insignia ever put into it. There is an aluminum grip eagle which is applied to the center area, being slightly too high. There is no SA runes button in this ebony grip. The aluminum eagle is the style with "beak which points upward slightly", and all details are still there to the bird's eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. The grip is a sharp contour construction type. It does not look to have been worn much, but unfortunately, there is a small surface chip at the right upper side, and also at the right reverse side. Other than this, the grip is quite crisp, and nicely fits the crossguards.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. The original black paint shows some spidering, and some signs of being around. Overall though, with a little work, this paint would come up very nice and rates at about 95%. The scabbard mounts are the nickel plated steel based type. The upper mount is in perfect condition, as is the lower mount. It is interesting to note though, that the lower mount has no screws, nor have the holes ever been drilled for the screws. This mount must have been put in place when it was heated, and after the cooling process it stayed in place. The upper mount has standard dome head steel screws. The screw on the left edge is slightly off center, however, being an indication that perhaps there were employees putting these pieces together that were not the normal employees, as most likely they had been drafted. The hanger ring has an early black hanger. I do not know why it is an early hanger, but it is possible that it was put on over the years, or it may have been issued this way, as perhaps the factory was out of the standard later types. This strap has good leather, and is complete with the retainer loop. The hanger hardware is the early nickel type, with the "long snout" unmarked nickel snap clip.

The blade of this example is dated 1942, and this kind of clinches the conclusion that this was a late-made piece put together to satisfy an order. The blade has some scratches in the surfaces of both sides, but it still retains its graining and its brightness. The SA motto is fairly crisp, and has about 95% of its background darkening. There is some wear to the motto, as it was done on a high ridge surface. The reverse blade has a single open RZM circle positioned over the Eickhorn code "M 7/66". Below is the date of production "1942". The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower crossguard contour. Another interesting "last ditch" dagger.

Excellent. $1,195.00

SPECIALSA #34124C Feldherrnhalle-Marked Brown Leather Hanger

This brown leather hanger is the same type that has been rumored to have been used by SA Feldherrnhalle troops but this is the first time that I have encountered one that is actually marked to this effect. First off, the hanger measures about 9-inches overall. It is composed of brown leather with a fold over belt loop at the top retained by rivets. At the bottom there is an open tunnel which will accommodate either a bayonet lug or an SA scabbard with the carrying ring removed. There is a slot to accommodate an eyelet. The hanger was apparently made for dual purpose usage. On the reverse upper area the hanger is maker mark stamped, “RZM L2/441/38 Kernstück”. In the center area of the reverse this hanger is rubber stamped with double circles on the outside and an open inner area. The inside area has the words that mean “property of” being, “Eigen-tum/der”. Inside of the rubber stamped circles are the words, “STANDARTE FELDHERRNHALLE / STÜRMBANN1 / GÜTTERGOTZ”. Clearly this would indicate that the hanger is the property of the Feldherrnhalle Standarte Stürmbann 1 from the town of Güttergotz. This town is located about twelve miles from Berlin. This hanger appears to be in unused condition. The hole which appears for the lug is rather raggedy and it is possible that this hole was not factory made. Certainly the hole for the scabbard eyelet though was factory done.

It is possible that these frogs may have been altered to accommodate bayonets or possibly someone after the fact cut this hole for a bayonet lug. Either way this is an original Feldherrnhalle vertical hanger and proves once and for all that this style was definitely used by this elite SA regiment. I’m sure that other political groups used the hanger also. Either way to discover one of these that is Feldherrnhalle marked is a great thing and in my opinion could be almost one of a kind. For those of you out there that are looking for the rarest of the rare and in choice condition this is a great acquisition. I know that it’s a lot of money for a hunk of leather but what a hunk of leather it is!

Mint. $2,495.00

SPECIALSA #34082C Early SA Dagger with Non-regualtion Brown Vertical Hanger - Aesculap

This early SA Dagger has fine nickel mounts throughout. The crossguards have good smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is gruppe marked "Sw". Looking at the tang nut, it does not appear as though this dagger has ever been apart. The guards have a good dull patination. The Aesculap grip is a typical example, still having most of its original varnished protective coating. The high spots show wear to the varnish, but there are no real problems with the grip. This grip fits the crossguards absolutely like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is in good condition with perfect enamel. The nickel grip eagle is the "point behind the head" style. This bird has full details remaining to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell is a fine example, having a more coppery style anodized finish, which is mostly all there. The front portion of the scabbard shows just a little bit of wear above the area where the crossloop of the hanger tightens against the scabbard shell. This is a good thing though, as it proves that the vertical has always been with this dagger. Good anodized surfaces here! The scabbard mounts are in good condition, with the lower ball having a small hit that has pressed it slightly towards the reverse. The mounts are complete with the original nickel screws which appear unturned. This non-regulation style brown vertical hanger is a fine example with a built in belt loop. The area below the belt loop and down to the bottom of the squared off hanger has been sewn around the edges. There is also a separate strap with hasp and a buckle, which retains the scabbard along with the retainer loop below. This hanger is in excellent condition.

The blade of this example is still bright. It shows a little bit of in and out marks along the bottom, and just the slightest of smuding on the lower end of its surfaces. The blade grades at an excellent to excellent plus condition, and probably would clean up quite a bit with some mild work with semi-chrome. The SA motto is crisp and deep, having about 95% of the original darkening in the backgrounds of the letters. The reverse ricasso has a good crisp logo etch. The trademark of this example consists of double circles. Contained within the circles is the name of the firm and its location "Aesculap Tuttlingen". Inside is a crown over a staff with snake wrapped around it. The Aesculap firm also made medical tools thus the symbol for medicine included in their trademark. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower crossguard contours. A nice SA dagger here which probably would have been used by either mounted personnel, or perhaps someone in an SA band. Hangers like this are very unusual, and desirable.

Excellent Plus. $1.495.00(#072412)

SPECIALSA #34083C Early SA Dagger with Scabbard Dedication - Haco, Berlin

This early dedicated SA Dagger is a fine untouched example, being in choice condition, except for a smashed ball at the bottom mount. The all nickel crossguards are the typical Haco variety. The upper guard is extremely thin, and the lower guard is slightly thicker. These Haco guards have a distinctive look once you study them. Looking at the tang nut, it does not appear as though this dagger has ever been apart. All mounts have a very deep, dull patination. The lower reverse guard is gruppe marked, as Haco daggers usually are "B" which of course stands for Berlin. The grip is a fine, high ridge constructed type, and it appears to be a fine wood beneath. The grip has a nice varnished coating, which is still almost all there, just failing a little on the high ridge of both sides, and in a couple of other areas. The grip itself is in very choice condition, fitting the crossguards like a rubber glove. There is also a nice grain which runs vertically. The SA runes button is nicely placed and has good enameled surfaces. The early nickel grip eagle is the "high necked" variety. This bird has full details remaining to its head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika. A superb hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This scabbard has the dark purple type anodizing, and it is mostly all there, beginning to thin a little on the obverse, but not much. The anodizing has some age spread through the surfaces, but it is not bad. The upper scabbard mount is in excellent condition throughout, whereas the lower mount has a crushed ball that is tipped to the left and is split. It is interesting to note that the screws on these mounts are much lower than they normally are. The screws are in good condition, being unbuggered. There is also an original early SA hanger which has good leather. This leather is still mostly supple, and is complete with a small retainer loop. The hardware is the early nickel type, exactly matching the patination of the other mounts. The clip is the "long snout" unmarked type. The obverse upper scabbard mount has a four line dedication. It reads "Fur treue/Pflichterfullung/S.A. Sturm 15/111/Obersch. Luc. Kassel". This dedication basically means "For loyalty and true sense of duty, S.A Storm 15/111 Oberschutz (Oberschutz is a sergeant) Luc. Kassel." This dedication has the rank and full name of the original recipient. I assume the abbreviation "Luc." stands for "Lucas" or "Luke". So there should be some excellent research possibilities here. The next owner of this dagger should contact the researcher extraordinaire Rob McDivitt. If you need details for this please contact me.

The blade is nice and bright throughout, having all of the crossgraining, and good needle-like tip. There are some minor in and out signs, but overall, this blade remains in mint condition. The SA motto is crisp and deep, with 100% of the dark backgrounding in the letters. The reverse ricasso has the Haco trademark, which consists of two circles resembling a lifesaver. Inside of the circles is the firm's name and location, "Haco Berlin". This was the only firm in Berlin that was producing SA daggers. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contours. A really fine example here for someone to research. It is also a most interesting dagger, and it is fun to own an untouched, never apart, deeply patinated piece.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $2,995.00

SPECIALSA #34086C Early SA Dagger with Crossguard Dedication - August Bickel

This early SA Dagger was used as a prize apparently for an SA contest. The dagger may have been a leftover at the factory, as it is dated July '37, but has all nickel mounts with a gruppe marking. The date just seems to be too late for the dagger to have been used for the first time. Chances are, the blade factories had extra pieces from the early days that could have been used for events such as this. At any rate, the dagger has highly patinated nickel fittings throughout. Studying the upper mount and tang nut, it does not appear as though this dagger has ever been apart. The crossguards are in good condition having smooth contours, crisp edges, and crisp accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is gruppe marked "Mi". On the top obverse crossguard it is engraved using one of those period machines that made letters with a series of dots. We see this engraving usage quite a bit on Third Reich pieces. The upper guard is engraved "Dem Sieger". This of course means "The Winner". The engraving is done quite well. On the lower crossguard obverse it appears as though a dot making engraving machine was also used to engrave the winner's name and date. The engraving is "Bialla d. 4.7.37". Although the machine appears to be the same, I think that perhaps the winner himself may have done this engraving because it is not quite as professionally executed as the upper engraving. Chances are, the upper engraving was done before the event, and the winner may have taken it on himself to make sure that he got full credit for his feat. The lower engraving would mean very simply, "Bialla on July 4th, 1947". The grip of this example is most attractive having a slight burl effect to the graining in the center area, and also a nice vertical graining in the other areas. This grip also appears to have been varnish coated, and the varnish is still in place. August Bickel did make nice grips, so this may have been a standard feature for this company. Other than just a small surface chip at the right obverse top, this grip is still in fine condition. It fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is one of those copper types, and it is nicely placed, having good enameled surfaces. This copper runes button is also more convex than they usually are. A nice button here. The grip eagle is the early nickel type. This eagle is the "point behind the head" variety, having still good features to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath, and mobile swastika.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. Unfortunately, the original purple anodizing is mostly worn off both sides of the scabbard. There is still original anodizing remaining around the recessed areas protected by the mounts. The mounts are excellent nickel examples, being perfect throughout, including the lower ball. These mounts have all four nickel screws in place and they are unturned. The short hanger is still on the carrying ring. This hanger has good leather, and is complete with its small retainer loop. The hardware is the early solid nickel type with the unmarked buckle being the "long nosed" type. The blade of this example is still fairly nice, having a little bit of graying to the surfaces, but not bad. I see minor amounts of crossgraining but most of it is gone to time. The SA motto is deep and crisp, and perhaps 20% of the original darkening is gone from the backgrounds. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with the horizontal diamond trademark of this firm. The upper portion of the diamond has the intertwined monogram "AB" and below this is the firm's full name and their address "August Bickel/Steinbach-Hallenberg". The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. An interesting dagger here, and certainly representative of the type of awards made during the pre-war programs between SA brigades.

Excellent. $1,595.00

SPECIALSA #34056C Early SA Dagger with Scabbard Dedication – Ed Wüsthoff

This early SA Dagger has all nickel fittings throughout. The crossguards and tang nut have a fine patination and studying the tang nut it does not appear as though this dagger has ever been apart. The crossguards have excellent smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The reverse lower crossguard is marked with the rarely seen gruppe, “Oe”. This gruppe represents the Austrian sector where despite the fact that Austria was not part of Germany at the time this dagger was made, there were many NSDAP and SA members there. If you are collecting SAs by gruppe mark this is an interesting dagger on its own as this marking is very difficult to find. The grip on this example appears to be a dark mahogany. The mahogany wood is still in excellent condition throughout showing some usage signs but no chipping or flaws. The grip fits the crossguards fairly well, not real tight – but certainly acceptable. The SA runes button is nicely placed and has no flaws to the enamel. The nickel grip eagle is the style with the “beak which points upward”. This bird shows only minor wear to the center surfaces, but the eye, beak, breast feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika are still all there.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has the more coppery style anodizing but unfortunately there is a lot of even age spots which have set across the surfaces. The scabbard mounts exactly match the patination of the hilt crossguards. They are in good shape throughout, the lower ball having a small press at the bottom obverse area but it is not bad. These mounts are retained by nickel screws which are unturned. The obverse of the scabbard upper fitting has a professional four line engraving. The dedication reads, “IN TREUER KAMERADSCHAFT / GEW.v.SA TRUPP 24 / 241 / TANNENBERGSTHAL / 10.7.37” This dedication would roughly translate, “In loyal comradeship given from the SA troop 24/241 from Tannenbergsthal on July 10, 1937”. Tannenbergsthal is a small town in Saxony. More than likely the dagger was given for a promotion or possibly a wedding. The village of Tannenbergsthal is not near Austria so the gruppe mark on the crossguard does not necessarily correspond with the location cited on the dedication. I believe however since this dagger has a date of late 1937, it would indicate that an earlier piece was used to fulfill this awarded piece. It would not have been uncommon to order such a piece from an existing factory which more than likely had older daggers still on hand. It is also possible that someone over the years changed the dagger that was originally in this scabbard however I doubt it very much. The scabbard throat exactly lines up with the curvature of the crossguard and also the patination of both parts are identical.

The blade of this example is still nice and bright having just the most minor of age spots here and there but they are really nominal and the blade still grades in a near mint state. The crossgraining appears throughout being at nearly 100%. The SA motto is extremely dark and deeply etched. The backgrounds of the motto appear to be easily 100%. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower crossguard contour. A very interesting dagger here and worthy of an appreciative collector.

Excellent. $1,995.00

SPECIALSA #34058C Mid-Period SA Dagger with Crossguard Dedication RZM M 7/70 - F. & A. Helbig

This Helbig produced SA dagger has all of the normal characteristics we see with this producer. The Helbig daggers were the only examples to be equipped with steel crossguards having chromed surfaces. The same was true of the scabbard mounts. The steel crossguards were only produced by the Helbig firm. This example has a tang nut which appears to have been turned at least once as there are some small rounded scratches below it on the crossguard surface. The crossguards, despite their chrome finish, have quite a bit of patination which is probably attributable to nicotine. The guards are slightly larger than normally seen nickel examples. The obverse guard is professionally engraved, “1939 DEM SIEGER”. This dedication of course means, “To the 1939 Winner”. The grip is a fine mahogany type and it shows some usage but is still in good condition with no chips or flaws. The SA runes button is nicely placed and is turned to about five o’clock. The enamel is still in excellent condition. The nickel grip eagle is the style with “beak pointing upwards slightly”. This eagle shows only modest wear to the surfaces but the beak, eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika are still in good condition. It is also interesting to note that the grip eagles on Helbig daggers are placed higher on the grip than the norm. As we know grip eagles were to be placed just below the center line of the bulbous portion of the grip, not in the center.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has good chocolate brown paint showing a few scratches here and there but it still has its original brightness and rates at about 98%. The chrome plated scabbard mounts are in excellent condition to include the lower ball. These mounts also have matching patination. The mounts are secured by dome head steel screws which are unturned.

The blade of this example remains in a bright condition still having all of its crossgraining. As is typical of the Helbig firm the etching to the SA motto is extremely light. Despite this the motto still remains quite clear. The reverse of the blade is matching lightly etched with a double RZM circle having a shaded center. Below the circle is the code, “M 7/70”. It is also interesting to note that the shoulder to crossguard contour fit is not very good but again this is yet another Helbig trait. Not a high quality dagger here but it is what it is.

Excellent. $895.00

SPECIALSA #34059C Early SA Ground Röhm Dagger with Scabbard Marine Dedication – Carl Eickhorn

This early Eickhorn SA Dagger has textbook style nickel fittings with an outstanding dull never-cleaned patina throughout. Studying the tang nut it does not appear to have ever been loosened. The guards have outstanding smooth surfaces with crisp edges and deep accent grooves. The lower reverse crossguard is gruppe marked, “Fr”. The grip of this example is a fine lighter colored fruitwood. The wood has some very pleasing grains, some of which appear to swirl around the right side of the center area. Very nice indeed! The grip is in perfect condition showing some modest wear but no problems whatsoever and the grip fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is nicely placed and has good enamel finish. The grip eagle shows some wear to the bird’s head, breast feathering, talons and wreath. The eagle is the “high-necked” type. The wing feathering is still all there and the raised mobile swastika is nice and prominent. A fine hilt here.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. The anodizing appears to be the darker brown type used by this firm. Unfortunately there is some old pitting in the obverse surface and a little bit of age staining in the reverse surface. Since the scabbard is fairly dark anyhow though it doesn’t look bad. The matching patinated scabbard mounts are excellent throughout to include the never dropped lower ball. These mounts are retained by nickel screws which appear unturned. The reverse of the crossguard has a most interesting dedication. It is a three line example and is professionally done, “Gew.v. / Marinesturm / 6/2”. This means that the dagger was “Given by Marinesturm 6/2”. This of course indicates that the donor unit was a marine group and it is most interesting to note that there is no black handle, no black scabbard, no gilded fittings, just a standard early dagger. I have several of these examples which will be coming up in my SA book and at last it should put to rest all of the rumors that prevail about marine SA daggers.

The blade of this example is a beauty. It is a factory done ground Röhm example and to the inexperienced eye both sides will look the same. The obverse blade is nice and bright throughout having all of its original crossgraining. The SA motto is extremely deep and crisp with 100% of the black darkening. This blade is in mint condition. The reverse has had the Röhm inscription professionally ground off and has been completely resurfaced most likely by the Eickhorn firm. It also appears as though the original trademark may have been reapplied. The trademark consists of the double ovals used between 1933 through 1935. The ovals contain the firm’s name and location, “Carl Eickhorn Solingen”. Inside is a seated serrated tail squirrel with a nut in his paws. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. An outstanding dagger here having in my opinion, much value to the collecting community for the marine dedication.

Excellent. $2,495.00

SPECIALSA #34060 Early SA with Serial Numbered Crossguard – Rich. & E. Hartkopf

This early Hartkoph SA Dagger is in extremely fine condition as well as having a seldom seen maker. The crossguards are of solid nickel and they are beauties being the type produced by the Böker firm. These guards are completely smooth throughout with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. Studying the tang nut it does not look as though this dagger has been apart in modern times. The reverse crossguard is gruppe marked, “Nm”. The obverse crossguard has the serial number which could be either an Ausweiss or an SA serial number. The digits are, “22200” and they appear to have been stamped with separate dies. The grip is also a choice example being a fine furniture like mahogany wood. This grip shows little to no wear and has a most pleasing vertical grain running beneath the surfaces. This perfect condition grip snugly fits the crossguards like a rubber glove. The SA runes button is nicely placed and has fine enamel surfaces. The grip eagle is the “point behind the head” type. This bird has full detail to his eye, beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. An extremely nice hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight as an arrow. It has a pleasing purple color style finish and 100% of the anodizing still remains. Most of the original lacquer is also still there. I would say the obverse has about 90% lacquer and the reverse has maybe 70%. There is lacquer missing only on the upper edge of the reverse where the original carrier obviously held his hand to steady the dagger. A very fine shell here! The scabbard mounts are matching nickel and they too are in good shape throughout. The mounts are retained by four nickel screws which are all in place and appear unturned. The lower ball apparently must have taken a very slight hit as there is a little bit of “pressing upward” damage to the right side of the mount just above the screw. In other words when the dagger was dropped it did not dent the ball but did force the right side hole open slightly further than norm.

The blade is a fine example being almost completely mint on the obverse. It is bright and has all of its crossgraining but there are a couple of very minor smudges mostly along the right edge. The SA motto is nice and crisp has nearly all of the original background in the etch. The reverse blade is also bright and has just a little bit more smudge here and there mostly confined around the ricasso and shortly there after. Overall though the blade still grades in a near mint condition. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with a trademark consisting of a diamond within another diamond. In the center are the initials, “RHE”. These initials represent the firm which is named below with there location, “Rich. & E. Hartkopf / Solingen”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. A very fine dagger here and made even more interesting with the serial number stamping.

Near Mint. $1,495.00

SPECIALSA #34064C SA/NSKK Officer Dagger Conversion RZM 7/13 - Schüttlehofer

This most unusual dagger represents a period conversion that looks to have once been an SA dagger and perhaps the original owner joined the NSKK as an officer. Since the wearer may have been unable to order an officer’s dagger because of the demands of the war it appears as though he chose to convert his existing SA to an NSKK with a chained suspension. The dagger has the standard nickel-plated crossguards with steel tang nut. The crossguards show a little bit of mild freckling in the surfaces but the plating is still all there and mostly bright. The grip appears to have been an SA example as despite the fact that it has been painted black there is still quite a bit of brown original color which shows where the paint has worn or flaked off. There is also a chip in the surface of the right hand obverse and the right hand reverse section of the grip. The SA runes button is in place with perfect enamel surfaces. The grip eagle is an aluminum type. The eagle appears to be the type with “beak which points upwards slightly”. There is some wear to the head and breast feathering area or it may be a rub from something along the way. The same is true of the swastika within the wreath. The top portion of the swastika is also rubbed. The rest of the bird still appears OK to include the open wings and the wreath.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell also shows traces of being brown underneath and having a rather crude black painted surface. The paint job appears to have been done with a brush and no doubt was accomplished by the same individual who painted the grip. There are traces of black paint still on the edges of the scabbard mount so apparently the painter did not bother to remove these mounts prior to the new finish. In addition to the paint job there has also been a center ramp added to the scabbard. This ramp appears to have been made locally as it is not anywhere near what a “standard” example would be. It is only about ¼-inch wide with high center and rounded edges. It is retained by a steel dome head screw which is slightly larger than the normal scabbard screws. There is an eyelet on the right end with a carrying ring being smaller in dimension than the norm. The scabbard mounts are the standard nickel-plated type and they still retain their original brightness. The four dome head screws are all in place and they are unbuggered.

The blade is a typical RZM type having a high center ridge and lightly etched motto. The motto has most of its original factory darkening gone to time. The blade shows some of the original crossgraining but most of it is gone and the surfaces are beginning to turn gray. This blade only grades at excellent. The reverse ricasso is matching etched with a double open RZM circle positioned over the Schüttlehofer code “M 7/13”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard contour. An interesting dagger here for those that are prone to collecting oddities. An absolute period conversion here that probably had some sort of a chain hanger. The hanger of course is now missing.

B>Excellent. $995.00

SPECIALSA #34065C Early NSKK “Unofficial” Officer Conversion with Personalization and Dedicated Blade – Wilh. Kober

This early dagger is a real anomaly here but absolutely a period piece and should be of much interest to those of you out there that like “one-off” pieces. The dagger started life as an early SA example. Probably after the NSKK was ordered to paint their scabbards black this conversion may have occurred. The scabbard shell shows signs of once being a brown anodized type however it was painted black in a rather crude form. It is my belief that many times some of the NSKK people also painted their grips black. This is the case here and the grip appears to have been painted the same time as the scabbard and by the same individual. The paint to the grip shows wear in places and the original brown color wood does show through. The crossguards and tang nut do not look to have been removed in modern times. These all nickel mounts have a very dull patination and do not appear to have been cleaned since the period. The mounts are the typical Suhl type. They have good smooth crossguards, crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse guard has the gruppe mark, “Th”. In addition, on either side of the gruppe stamping are the original owner’s initials, “R.S.”. This engraving has been professionally done with double scribed letters. The grip is still in fairly good condition having no chips or problems. The paint was extremely rough the way it was applied and some of it has cracked and wrinkled some probably by heat in an attic. The SA runes button is nicely placed and has all of its enameled surfaces. The early grip eagle is the high-necked variety. This eagle still has all of its details to include the bird’s eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. A most interesting hilt here!

The scabbard shell as indicated above has been painted black over the original brown anodizing. The scabbard surfaces are a little rough here and there but they are still basically straight. The nickel mounts are in place and are the early type exactly matching the patination of the crossguards. The upper mount is still in good condition whereas the lower mount has had the ball hit at about the center of the bottom where it is pushed in. There is no splitting however. There appears to be a replacement screw at the lower right portion of the mount. The other three screws are original and are unbuggered. There has been a center ramp added to this scabbard. This ramp appears to have been locally made and it is by no means “official”. It is cut in the same design as the official style ramps but it has no turning to the edges. The borders are only straight metal cut in the normally seen arch design along the borders. There is an eyelet that has been added along with a smaller style brass ring. There is no screw holding this ramp in place and assumedly it is pushed up to the point where the expanding portions of the scabbard shell hold it in place. Attached to the upper and center eyelet is an early Luftwaffe chain. This nickel chain has eight ringlets at the top and ten ringlets at the bottom. The clip is the standard unmarked Luftwaffe nickel type. It is interesting to note that the chain is attached in the same way that we see NPEA leader chains attached to their scabbards. Two strips of brass were cut and made into attaching tabs. The connecting points were soldered on the reverse. Also interesting to note is that the reverse of the upper scabbard mount has more personalization with the owner’s initial and portion of his last name, “R.Sch.”. More than likely this man’s name was Schultz or something to that nature. This engraving was professionally done and has attractive engraving between the double scribed letters.

The blade is an early type and appears to be a ground Röhm on the reverse. The obverse still has much of the original crossgraining but does show some in and out usage and there is also a very minor nick at the upper edge. The motto is crisp however most of the original background darkening has gone to time. This blade only grades at about excellent. On the reverse the crossgraining indicates that there must have been a Röhm inscription that was removed. What is really interesting is that an additional inscription has been added on the reverse. It is etched in two lines, “In Treüe / Franz Fischer”. This of course would mean, “In Loyalty Franz Fischer”. Apparently Fischer may have had this crazy dagger put together for R. Schultz. The original factory logo is on the reverse ricasso. It is a double oval type which traps the firm’s name and location inside, “Wilh. Kober & Co. Suhl”. Inside is the half man half horse animal known as a centaur. The animal is positioned over the start up date of this factory, “Gegr. 1874”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the crossguard contours.

Obviously this is a most interesting dagger especially for those who like to study original variations and contemplate why they were done and who wore them. Since there were many millions of officers and men wearing daggers during the Third Reich time it is inevitable that we are going to see pieces that we don’t thoroughly understand. I believe that this is a real gem here if you are the type of guy that does not have to collect “cookie cutter” style pieces. As the hobby becomes more and more advanced pieces of this nature become more and more important to the collecting community. An outstanding opportunity here to expand your collection into a piece that currently may have more questions than answers but that certainly will be an eye catcher and a piece to discuss with your like thinking friends. Absolutely a totally original dagger of the period.

Excellent. $2,895.00

SPECIALSA #34079C Early SA Dagger with Brigade Numbers - IS. Wolfertz

This early SA Dagger, aside from being a rare maker seldom seen, also has brigade numbers stamped onto the mounts. The crossguards are the traditional nickel type with fine nickel tang nut. Looking at the tang nut, this dagger does not appear to have been apart. The fittings look to have been cleaned in the last decade. They are not overly done, and are beginning to take on a new patination. The fittings have smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The grip is a medium contour rich construction, being a chocolate brown color, but not having any visible grain in the surfaces. This grip shows only nominal usage and remains in perfect condition fitting the crossguards perfectly. The SA runes button has good enamelled surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the "high necked" type, and it still has all details visible to the bird's head, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. The reverse of the lower crossguard is gruppe marked "P". (The gruppe mark shows only about half the letter, and I believe that Pomariania is the right stamping here.) On either side of the gruppe mark, there are two sets of numbers. The first set is "4/44" and the second set is "3540". The scabbard upper reverse mount is stamped in the same manner with matching numbers. This stamping is quite crudely done, and appears to have been made with individual dies. The first sets of numbers most likely indicate the SA group and the last four digits are either an ausweiss number or the original carrier's SA serial number.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has excellent anodizing which appears to still be one hundred percent. There is a little bit of modest age in the surfaces but it is very, very nominal. The SA nickel mounts are in perfect condition to include the lower ball. Sorry to say the blade of this dagger has turned slightly gray, and it also has smudge on its surfaces. This blade only grades at excellent. The motto is deeply etched, but most of the background darkening has been polished out. The reverse ricasso faired a little better, as the backgrounds are still in the double oval etch. The ovals contain the name of the firm and the location, "IS. WOLFERTZ SOLINGEN". Inside is a single fir tree. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contour. A desirable dagger because of the maker, and also for those of you out there that are interested in brigade numbered pieces.

Excellent. $1,495.00

SPECIALSA #34081C Early Denazified NSKK Enlisted Man's Dagger - Haastert and Bull

This early NSKK EM Dagger is not in good condition, but it is a somewhat interesting piece, for the method in which it was denazified. I would think that this dagger was probably liberated by a vet and brought back to use as a hunting knife or as something similar. The crossguards and scabbard mounts are all solid nickel, and have a very dark patination. The tang nut shows no signs of being out with a wrench, but there are some vague signs that perhaps a pair of pliers was used way back when. At any rate, it is still in good condition. The crossguards despite their deep patination, still have smooth surfaces, with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower guard is gruppe marked "He". The grip is a smooth contour constructed type. It appears to be mahogany wood. There are a couple of minor cracks that appear on the reverse and also some signs that the dagger has been thrown around here and there. On the obverse the SA runes button is in position, but does show some scratches across its surfaces. The enamel still appears to be there however. On the center of the obverse grip it can be assumed that the veteran cut out a piece of metal in the shape of a diamond and attached it over the eagle and swastika in the center. The diamond is held in place by two brass screws which appear untouched. I don't know whether the eagle itself was removed or not. I feel quite certain that this denazification was done by a veteran as if it were done in Germany; I would have thought that the SA runes button would have been removed also. To a returning veteran, the runes button did not mean anything. The grip nicely fits the crossguards.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. It has period black paint which appears to be very old and probably done at the time early SA scabbards were ordered to be painted black by NSKK rules. This paint has substantial scratching and usage and remains at about 60 to 70%. The scabbard mounts have matching patination. The upper mount is still in decent condition and the lower ball does have a couple of hits and is bent slightly to the left. The screws that were in the scabbard are long gone to time.

The blade of this example has unfortunately turned gray with age. The Motto is still there, and has about 85% of the original darkening in the backgrounds. There are some signs of sharpening in the edges of the blade. The reverse ricasso has a good trademark still in place. It consists of a large standing rabbit who is holding an even larger butcher knife. The rabbit is positioned over the firm’s name, “R. Haastert and Bull/Solingen-Wald”. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the cross guard contours. I know that this is not a nice dagger, but it does have interest in the way that it was denazified.

Poor. $500.00

SPECIALSA #34066C Early Private Purchase (?) Political SA Dagger

This dagger is a mystery to me, but I must say it is a very handsome piece, and I’m sure there will be someone out there that will like it as much as I do. This dagger is devoid of any blade inscription or maker marking, and the grip has no insignia in it whatsoever. I believe this dagger to be an early private purchase piece which was absolutely factory constructed and made early in the period, no later than 1934. I do not believe that someone who was not associated the SA would have been allowed to order a dagger that had the motto on it, as well as the party eagle and the SA Runes Button. On the other hand I do not see where there would be a problem with the rules making a dagger devoid of these features if it was to be used for private reasons. This dagger is equipped with beautiful, early nickel crossguards. These crossguards look to be Eickhorn, but they are unmarked inside. They have the same extremely deep accent grooves found on a typical Eickhorn example, as well as the same shape and curvature. These beautiful guards are nicely patinated to a dull finish and have completely smooth surfaces with crisp edges. The tang nut has been out for me to take a look inside, as I just had to see how the grip was done on the interior portions. First of all the grip is factory as far as the carving to the upper and lower portions which fit perfectly inside of the crossguards. The shape of the grip is also perfect, and most elegant. This grip has a beautiful circular grain which runs through the center of both sides. The grain then becomes vertical after the center areas on both the upper and low portions. I don’t know what type of wood this is, but it is most beautiful and is the kind of thing you would see on the dashboard of an expensive Rolls-Royce or early Jaguar. The grip is in totally perfect condition, and has Medium Contour Ridge construction. It beautifully fits the nickel crossguards. It is interest to note that the lower reverse crossguard has a Gruppe stamping of “Mi”. I do not know why there would be a Gau marking on the crossguard, but perhaps the dagger was distributed to a purchaser in the Mitte area and was included in one of the shipments. The Mitte area falls within Saxony. A most elegant hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. This shell has the remnants of the original anodizing which is maybe 50 to 60% intact. It is possible to see though that this was the color tone of rich copper when it was new. Unfortunately age has set in and there is quite a bit of discoloration throughout. The nickel mounts are in choice condition, the lower ball having just a small ding to the center area which does not show from the front. These mounts have the same patination as the guards and are retained by the original nickel screws, which are unbuggered.

The blade of this example is a beauty. It is stone mint throughout, having 100% cross graining. The lower blade shoulders perfectly fit the contours of the crossguard. There is no question that this is an early vintage blade of highest quality. The odd part is that this mint conditioned blade has no motto, not does it have a makers mark. Once again I feel that a private purchase would negate the need for a motto on the blade. So your guess is as good as mine concerning the reason this dagger exists. I can only tell you, based on my forty years of experience looking at these items that whatever this dagger is it is 100% original and made no later than 1945. A very beautiful weapon here.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,695.00(#022012)

SPECIALSA #34068 Early SA Dagger with a Brown Vertical Hanger – F. Dick

This early SA is an outstandingly conditioned, high quality dagger. The crossguards and tang nut are of all nickel construction. These mounts are in fine condition throughout, having smooth surfaces, crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The tang nut does not appear to have been removed in modern times. These mounts have a fine, dull patination throughout. The reverse lower cross guard is Gruppe marked “Sw”. The grip is constructed of a very fine mahogany wood. This wood has Medium Contour Construction and is of furniture quality. This wood has graining deep below the surfaces and is perfect condition throughout, fitting the cross guards like a glove. The SA Runes button is nicely placed and has no hits to the enamel. The grip eagle is the “point behind the head” type, and has full detailing evident to its eye, feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. A very fine hilt here!

The scabbard shell is a remarkable example. This shell has the deep copper colored anodizing which is very rarely seen. For once the anodizing is not all rusted or discolored with age. This copper anodizing is nearly 100% and retains most of the original lacquer across the surfaces. There are a couple of carrying signs here and there, but they are not enough to mar this beautiful scabbard. The scabbard mounts are of nickel, having matching patination. These mounts are in perfect condition through to the lower ball. They have all of the original nickel screws in place which appear unturned. The scabbard is equipped with a non-regulation vertical hanger. This hanger is in the same condition as the rest of the scabbard; the leather is still supple and is an attractive brown color. The vertical hanger is a straight piece of leather having a folded-over and sewn portion that creates a belt loop. At the bottom is a loop which nicely fits the scabbard body, and at the upper portion is a retainer loop with a hasp and buckle. There are no markings on this hanger, as it was probably made before the RZM got involved with such things.

The blade is a fine example also. It is completely bright, with nice cross graining and a need-like tip. It is not a full mint example, as there are just the slightest signs of age on the obverse and reverse ricasso areas. Other than these age marks the blade is mint. The Motto etch is perfectly done, have a frosted style background to the letters. The frosting appears to be 100% intact. The reverse ricasso is marked with the horizontally placed rectangle having an arrow pointing to the firm’s name at the bottom, “F. Dick”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower contours of the cross guards.

A very fine early dagger here, with a very rare vertical hanger. Chances are this dagger was carried by a band member, or perhaps a mounted rider.

Near Mint. $1,695.00

SPECIALSA #34069C Early SA with Brown Vertical Hanger – Ernst Grah

This early SA dagger is equipped with all nickel mounts throughout. The cross guards are extremely nice, having a very dark patination. The upper portion of the cross guard has some round scars around the nut indicating it has been out, but it doesn’t not appear to have been removed in modern times. The guards have excellent smooth surfaces, with precise edges and crisp accent grooves. It is interesting to note that the lower crossguard reverse does not have a Gruppe stamping. Since the scabbard is also painted rather than anodized there is a good chance this dagger was produced around 1936 or 1937. The maker is a rarely seen house, so it is possible that slim sales result in mid-period production with early features. However this is just a guess on my part.

The grip of this example is of dark mahogany wood. The graining is deep below the surface and gives the grip a furniture-like look. Unfortunately there is a chip that appears to have come loose at one time and was glued into position many years ago. The glue-job was off, as the contour lines do not match up with the chip. The rest of the grip is in choice condition, and literally fits the guards like glove. The SA Runes button is nicely placed and has good enamel. The nickel grip eagle is the style with the beak that points slightly upward. The detailing is still good throughout this eagle, although there appears to have been a small rub to the birds head. Other than this, the head, wing and breast feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika details are still all there.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. As mentioned above, this shell has a chocolate brown painted surface. The paint has some lifting beneath of it throughout both sides, but still retains its original brightness and remains at nearly 100%. The matching scabbard mounts have fine patination. The upper mount is in good condition, but the lower mount does have a hit to the lower ball that resulted in a split. The mounts are retained by their original nickel screws which are still in position.

There is a most interesting, non-regulation vertical hanger. This vertical has a standard bayonet-style configuration at the top, and at the bottom it has an interesting wide loop that goes over the upper fitting, which a separate belt with buckle and hasp which attach through the carrying ring. This hanger appears to have always been on this dagger, and is fully set in place to verify this fact.

The blade of this example has unfortunately turned gray and exhibits some thinning around the motto. The motto is still there, albeit a bit faint. Some of the original background darkening remains in the motto. The reverse blade has the same gray finish, and the maker marking is also somewhat worn. There is enough there, though, to see that this dagger was made by a rarely seen producer. The name and location are rendered in an oval with capital letters, “ERNST GRAH, SOLINGEN WALD”. In the center is rectangular box with the letters “EG” on top of each other. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the cross guard contours. A very interesting dagger here with a rare maker.

Excellent. $1,195.00

SPECIALSA #34071C Early SA with Period Leather-covered Scabbard – C.G. Haenel

This early SA Dagger is quite interesting to collectors as it has a period leather-covered scabbard. We will get to this further down in the description. The dagger has the standard Suhl nickel mounts. The upper cross guard is slighter wider than the lower cross guard, which has the distinctive curvature seen on daggers from this area. These mounts have a fine, dull patination and do not look like they have ever been cleaned. When studying the tang nut, there is no evidence that this dagger has been opened in modern times. The lower reverse cross guard is Gruppe marked “Sa”.

The grip is a fine, High Ridged walnut which was the standard wood used for Suhl daggers. Walnut, of course, was the wood used to make gunstocks, so it was readily available to build SA Daggers. This grip still has its original varnished finish, and has some fine vertical grain running throughout its length. The grip shows some minor usage, but overall is in near perfect condition. The SA Runes Button is one of the copper types. It is slightly outward from its corresponding hole, and this has caused most of the enamel to have been broken out from around the runes. The enamel is still intact within the “A” rune. The nickel grip is of the “beak which points upward” style. This eagle is in excellent condition, having full details to the eye, breast and wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. The grip fits the cross like a rubber glove. A nice hilt here!

The scabbard shell is straight throughout. As indicated above was been period covered in fine, dark brown leather. This leather has excellent, fine graining, and other than a little bit of under the surface lifting is still in perfect condition. The leather appears to have been run beneath both of the scabbard mounts. The upper mount is in fine condition. The lower mount is in good condition to the ball, and also fairly good condition to the obverse area. The reverse area of this lower mount has some bumps and scratches. The original nickel screws are in place and appear unturned.

The blade of this example is a fine one, being bright and having all of its cross graining. It has a little bit of “in-and-out” marking at the lower area, but overall this blade still grades in near Full Mint condition. The motto etch is deep and crisp and appears to have about 95% of the original background darkening intact. The reverse ricasso is etched with an arrow running across the blade, having the firm’s name in capital letters, “HAENEL”. Beneath this is the firm’s full name and location, “C.G. Haenel/Suhl/Waffen/u. Fahrrad/Fabrik”. The meaning of the words indicates that Haenel was both a weapons and a bicycle factory. The blade shoulders perfectly fit the lower cross guard contour.

I have no reason to give why this scabbard was leather covered. I do not think it was any kind of an acknowledgement of rank, rather it was just a whim done by the original carrier. Although there were rules against changed the appearance of a dagger, when there are 3 million people wearing them there is always someone who does follow those rules. Either way, this is absolutely a period job and done in an excellent, professional manner.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,695.00

SPECIALSA #34073C Early SA Dagger with Vertical Hanger - C. Linder

This early SA Dagger was produced by a rare maker, has very, very desirable vertical hanger attached, and is in extremely choice condition overall. First off the dagger has all nickel guards which have never been cleaned. There are a couple of old circles around the top of the upper cross guard where someone, long ago, took the dagger apart. It does not, however, look to have been apart in modern times. The guards are heavily patinated with a dull finish. The tang nut has a little bit of plier marking on it, probably the returning veteran, too a look inside. These cross guards are completely smooth surfaced, with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower reverse cross is Gruppe marked “Wm”. The grip is medium brown wood, with Medium Contour Ridge construction. This wood has good graining and remains in perfect condition. This grip nicely fits the cross guards. The SA Runes button is nicely placed and had perfect enamel surfaces. The nickel grip eagle is the High Neck style, and retains full detailing remaining to its head, wing and breast feather, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. A good conditioned hilt here!

The scabbard shell is as straight as an arrow. This shell is as nice an example as you will ever see. It has the purple colored anodized finish, and which is not only all still there but retains the original lacquer as well. This lacquer is nearly 100% on the reverse, and at least 85% on obverse. The scabbard mounts exactly match those of the hilt, having nice patination. These mounts are in good condition throughout down through the lower ball. The original nickel screws are in place and are unbuggered.

Attached to this scabbard is a beautiful, Party-approved hanger. This vertical hanger is a brown color, and has sleeve portion which clings around the scabbard shell with the top of the leather cut to match the curvature of the upper scabbard fitting. At the area where the grip lays there is a cross strap with a working snap. The belt loop area of the hanger has been made by a fold-over which is retained by four quality rivets. The reverse of this outstanding hanger is stamped with a double open RZM mark, and to the right is the marking, “L2/441/38”. Beneath this is the name of the producer of the hanger, “Kernstück”. Over the years collectors have attributed these hanger types to be “Feldhernhalle”. I do not believe this to be the case, but rather they are a Party-approved vertical hanger that certainly served a purpose for wear different than that of normal SA personnel. This is a very fine dagger with a very rare maker, coupled with a seldom-seen, desirable vertical hanger. This all adds up to a very fine collectible.

Near Mint. $1,995.00(#072312)

SPECIALSA #34076C Early SA Dagger with Fancy Leather-covered Scabbard - E.P. & S.

The hilt of this unusual dagger is a classic Pack style, being in choice condition. The cross guards are the early nickel type, and although the tang nut does not appear to have been removed in modern times, there are some circular scratches upper guard surface indicating that someone took the dagger down a long time ago. These cross guards have an even, dull patination throughout. They have good smooth surfaces with crisp edges and precise accent grooves. The lower guard is Gruppe marked “Nrh” on the reverse. The blade of this example is a real beauty. It is bright throughout, with fine, 100% intact cross graining and only minor “in-and-out” marks. The SA motto is deep and crisp, having 100% of the original darkening in the letter backgrounds. This blade is in Mint condition. The reverse ricasso is matching etched, featuring the hammering Siegfried and the initials, “E.P & S.” above and the location “Solingen” below. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower crossguard contours.

What is interesting about this otherwise standard dagger is that is has been covered with leather in a very unique manner. The leather covering is a quality, fine-grained type, which has been cross wrapped with straps to keep it tight in four different places. The strapping is all gathered on the reverse, and ends at the upper portion of the scabbard with a nickel-plated buckle and hasp. Looking at the upper area of the scabbard it appears as though the upper mount was removed and discarded. The throat remains in place. The upper scabbard mount probably would have hindered the look of the leather covering, thus the removal. There is a lot of age around the upper mount, and, to me, it appears as if this leather has been in place a very long time. I believe it to be period. The lower scabbard fitting was kept in place. This mount exactly matches the throat and crossguard in patination. It has a very small “push” on the lower ball, but it is nothing. The original screws are in place, and are unbuggered.

I know this is an odd looking “extra” here, but since it is period it represents yet another SA man who did not listen to the standing orders that the outside of the dagger had to be unencumbered. With 3 million men on the SA payroll, there is always someone who will not follow orders. I’m not sure that this leather adds a lot to the value of the dagger, but I think it adds interest as it is an indicator of the varied egos in the personnel out there in Nazi Germany. An interesting dagger to add to a SA “Type” collection.

Near Mint. $995.00 (#052012)

 SPECIALSA #34077c Late SA Dagger with Leather-covered Scabbard and Luftwaffe Chain Hanger RZM M 7/2 – Emil Voos

This late SA Dagger is one of those unexplained examples that creep up every one in while that are the result of people not following the rules or unable to obtain daggers indicative of their rank. This type of shortage certainly did occur after the war broke out, and after 1942 daggers were virtually unobtainable. It is possible, particularly in the NSDAP organizations, that early pieces could have been upgraded to reflect new status when proper examples could not be obtained for the blade manufacturers. If this is the case, then this example I am about to describe could have possibly been worn by a SA High Leader. On the other hand, it could have just been someone who wanted to smarten up his look in his dress uniform and was important enough in the SA to get away with it.

The dagger is equipped with very fine, nickel-plated cross guards. These daggers till retain their factory brightness, showing only minor age in their surfaces. The tang nut is also a beauty and shows no signs of being turned. The grip is a fine Medium Contour type, having a pleasing close grain in the surfaces. This grip shows only nominal usage and fits the cross guards like a glove. The grip is in perfect condition throughout. The SA Runes Button is nicely placed, having good enamel throughout its surfaces. The grip eagle is a mid-period type being of nickel in the Upward Pointing Beak style. This bid retains all detailing to its head, wing and breast feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swastika. The scabbard shell is straight throughout, and has been covered in finely grained brown leather. This leather is most attractive, and appears the same as the style we would see on Chained High Leader daggers. It is interesting to note that a ramp has been added to the center of this scabbard. The ramp is the style we would see on a 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger. It appears a portion of the surfaces have been removed from this mount in order to thin it down slightly, as to look more attractive with the other scabbard mounts. What is also interesting about the leather covering is that it exactly meets both the upper and lower mounts, and the same is true of the center mount on both sides. This construction is very nicely done and not produced by an amateur. This is definitely a period job here, and performed by someone skilled in leatherwork. The upper and lower scabbard mounts are in good condition, still being bright. The lower mount show a little bit of rust in both sides, but it is not bad and the ball has not been dropped. The original dome head scabbard screws are in place in both the upper and lower mount. A custom made screw appears to be holding the center ramp fitting on the left edge. Attached to the center ramp as well as to the eyelet of the upper scabbard fitting (the carrying ring was removed) is a standard aluminum Luftwaffe chain. Is chain is equipped with six top ringlets and nine lower ringlets. The chain is attached to a standard 1st Model Luftwaffe clip marked, “Gesch gesch” on the reverse, as well as “OLC”.

The blade of this example is a standard RZM type, having a high center ridge. All of the cross graining is still there, and it has a needle-like tip. There is some age on the obverse surface, but it is not too bad. The reverse surface has a little bit more of the age spotting. This blade could be cleaned some by the next owner, and much of this age will come out. In any case, this blade still rates at Excellent to Excellent Plus. The SA Motto is very crisp with a good etch, and has 100% of the dark backgrounds in the letters. The matching RZM circle on the reverse is the type with a shaded interior, and it positioned over the code for the Emil Voos firm, “M 7/2”. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower cross guard contour. There is no question that this period alteration. I personally feel that this was done for a senior SA officer or possibly a high Party official. Either way, this dagger was worn by a Nazi official in the same fashion it is today. This is an absolute period piece.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $2,995.00