Original German WWII 1938 Dated SA Dagger by Rare Maker Hartkopf & Co. of Solingen with Scabbard - RZM M7/40/38

Original Item: Only One Available. This very good condition mid war period produced SA Dienstdolch (Service Dagger) is made with nickel-plated fittings throughout, and was produced by the rare Solingen-based firm of Hartkopf & Co., Taschenmesserfabrik. The guards are made from alloy, most likely zinc-based, which was then nickel plated. The cross guard still retains most of the plating, while the pommel guard has lost much of it, now displaying an oxidized patina. As we often see, there is oxidation where the guards contact the grip, due to reacting with the stain in the grip combined with moisture. The pommel nut is zinc, and does not show any turning, though there is wear and loss of plating to the end.

The grip is in very good condition, having a fine red mahogany colored tone to the surfaces and medium center ridge construction. It shows some lovely grain, and fits the guards well. It shows some small pressure dents and scratches, but we do not see any major cracking. There is only a small hairline crack on the reverse near the cross guard, and another between the emblem and the pommel guard. The SA symbol button is nicely set, with most intact translucent amber enamel, and the plating partly intact with a bit of verdigris around the edge. The details are still there to the inlaid aluminum eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross).

The blade of this example is in very good condition, showing the factory final polish grind cross grain strongly throughout both sides. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is just a bit of scattered oxidation staining and scuffing in areas, which we have left intact to avoid damaging the cross grain. There is also the usual runner wear and light scratching from use and cleaning. The tip is still intact, and it does look like an attempt may have been made to sharpen one edge, possibly to remove oxidation. There are no dents, nicks, or other damage, and the acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still quite crisp, with the factory darkening well retained.

The rear is etched with the RZM contract information for Hartkopf & Co. along with a date:

((RZM))
M.7 / 40 / 38.

Hartkopf & Co., Taschenmesserfabrik (pocket knife factory) was founded in 1922 during the Weimar period, and began manufacturing pocket knives with the "Two Devils" logo on them. By 1939 they had grown, and were advertising various pocket, sport, and utility knives, as well as HJ, SA, and NSKK daggers, per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS.

The Reichszeugmeisterei (National Quartermaster Office), or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M.7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 40 stands for firm Hartkopf & Co., a rare maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout without any dents and has very good original chocolate brown enamel paint. The finish now shows checking and crazing on both sides from age, which really looks great! We did however notice a few scratches, which show what looks to be a black undercoat, so this may originally have been an NSKK dagger scabbard, refinished during the war. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching plated steel mounts, which show wear to the nickel plating and oxidation of the steel. This looks to be due to wear, and has a rather distinctive pattern on the upper and lower fittings. There are only some small dents to the bottom "ball", and the fittings nicely match the crossguards, still complete with all four dome head screws.

A lovely example of an early war pattern SA dagger with a lovely blade from a rare maker, complete with scabbard. Ready to display!

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

History of the SA-

The SA or Brown Shirts, were a private political formation which Adolf AH and the NSDAP used to maintain order at organized Party meetings and demonstrations. The group was formed in 1921, and grew to a huge force of nearly 3,000,000 men by the later 1930's. To instill esprit de corps, as well as create employment for the Blade City of Solingen, it was decided each SA man would carry a dagger with his Brown Shirt uniform. Huge quantities needed to be produced to accommodate the demand. The dagger initially was produced of hand-fitted nickel mounts with attractive finished wood grip and brown anodized (a bluing process) finished scabbard.

The blade was etched with the SA motto, Alles für Deutschland. Examples produced prior to 1935 were stamped with the German sector of the SA group on reverse lower crossguard. Later examples underwent standardization through the RZM ministry. These pieces were produced of cheaper plated zinc-base fittings and scabbards were simply painted brown.

Prior to his "unmasking" as a traitor, Ernst Röhm was the leader of the SA. In 1934, he distributed approximately 100,000 SA daggers with his personal inscription on the reverse blade. These daggers were to honor individuals who had served with the SA prior to December, 1931. Other than the inscription, these pieces were identical to the standard M1933 SA dagger. After the Röhm purge, the inscription was ordered to be removed. Many examples were returned to the factory for grinding. Others were simply ground in the field by whatever means were available. Examples will occasionally be encountered with remnants of the original inscription remaining on the blade, but mostly none will remain. Some blades exist with an intact inscription, reflecting only the removal of the Röhm signature. Very very rarely is an example seen with a full, untouched inscription, as the holder would have surely risked a charge of treason.