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Prior to his "unmasking" as a traitor, Ernst Roehm was also the leader of the SS. In 1934, he distributed approximately 9900 SS daggers with his personal inscription on the reverse blade. These daggers were to honor individuals who had served with the SS prior to December, 1931. Other than the inscription, these pieces were identical to the standard M1933 SS dagger. After the Roehm purge, the inscription was ordered to be removed. Many examples were returned to the factory for grinding. Others were simply ground in the field by whatever means were available. Examples will occasionally be encountered with remnants of the original inscription remaining on the blade, but mostly none will remain. Some blades exist with an intact inscription, reflecting only the removal of the Roehm signature. Very very rarely is an example seen with a full, untouched inscription, as the holder would have surely risked a charge of treason. Although it was ordered that the dagger was to have the recipient's SS number stamped into the crossguard, only about 50% of existing pieces will reflect this.

SSGPR -001- #25129 SS GROUND RÖHM - Carl Eickhorn

This SS Model 1933 dagger is really a fine example, having choice preservation throughout. The cross guards are the solid nickel type and they are marked “H.E.” internally. These guards have good, smooth surfaces, sharp, crisp edges and the accent grooves are the deep hand-cut type we associate with this producer. The reverse cross guard is District marked “III” and it is also stamped on the bottom with the inspection mark “2” appearing next to the shoulders of the lower blade edge. The grip is a fine example, being a typical Eickhorn type and easily recognizable by those who study these things. This grip has medium ridge contours and, on the obverse, it is in near perfect condition, showing only the most modest of usage signs. The reverse of the grip is also in good shape, having a small surface slither at the lower left corner, but it is really nothing and not large enough to bother fixing. This grip fits the cross guards quite nicely, being tight on the right sides and having just a small gap on the left sides – typical of Eickhorn! The SS runes button is nicely set, having perfect enameled surfaces. The rune are turned to approximately 7:00. The nickel grip eagle is the “high-necked” variety. It still has all details remaining to the beak, eye, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and raised swastika. A fine hilt here! The scabbard shell is also a nice example. It is straight throughout and has very fine, original anodized finish. In fact, this anodizing still appears to be all there. It is rare to see a scabbard in this nice of a condition. The scabbard mounts are the nickel type exactly matching the hilt. There is a slight ding at the back of the lower ball, but nothing that shows from the front. These scabbard mounts are retained by the original nickel screws which are all in place and unbuggered. Attached to the dagger is a leather short hanger. This short hanger shows a little bit of age to the leather, but it is still serviceable and sound. The small retainer loop is still there but the stitches have come out of the reverse of it. (This is quite easy to fix if you have a needle and thread.) The short hanger is equipped with the early nickel fittings, the snap clip being the standard shape type and having no markings. The blade of this example is nice and bright on the obverse. In fact, it shows most of the original graining in the surfaces and it nearly in a full mint condition. There is some minor in-and-out marks, but this you expect to see on any blade some 70 years old. The motto etch is nice and crisp and deep. It has about 95% of the original background frosting still present. The reverse blade is also nice and bright, having the once-present Röehm inscription completely removed. The removal looks like a factory job, as the blade has been re-grained and really looks great. In fact, if you were not used to looking at these things, you could mistake it has a normal blade surface. The trademark is the small oval type used for Röehm daggers by Eickhorn. The two ovals trap the firm’s name and location “Carl Eickhorn Solingen”. Inside, is a smooth-tailed seated squirrel. The blade shoulders of this near full mint blade nicely butt the contours of the lower cross guard. If you are looking for a nice SS dagger, this one should fill your bill. It also has the interesting aspect of once having a Röehm inscription, so, you have two periods of exciting Third Reich history here.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $3,995.00