Original German WWII 1939 Dated Transitional SA Dagger by Carl Eickhorn of Solingen with Scabbard - RZM M7/66

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a rare early war transitional pattern SA Dagger, with solid nickel alloy fittings throughout, and the blade is marked with both the trademark logo and RZM code of the legendary firm Carl Eickhorn of Solingen, the "City of Blades" in western Germany. This company had made SA and NSKK daggers since the Röhm era, and continued to produce them throughout the war. It comes comes compete with an original scabbard, which is the correct transitional pattern, painted with brown enamel but also bearing nickel alloy fittings. This dagger has a combination of early and middle production features, making it a very interesting piece!

The dagger has very nice fittings, which normally would be nickel-plated alloy on an RZM marked example. These are in very good condition, showing minimal oxidation and no lifting, so they definitely look to be made from solid nickel alloy. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked He, for Hessen, a district in the west of Germany, with the principal city being Frankfurt. This feature was usually only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior, so it is interesting that this example has the marking.

The grip is a fine product having a lovely mahogany red color, with medium center ridge construction, and the grain is lovely, with some great color variation. The grip is in very good condition, though it definitely does show some cracking and chunks missing near the guards. This is quite common due to the dye used on the fruit wood grip, which makes it brittle. The pommel nut is non-magnetic nickel alloy, and does some show turning. The hilt is still relatively tight on the blade on this fine Eickhorn example. The SA symbol button is still nicely set, and still has most of the translucent enamel intact, with the nickel plating showing some light oxidation. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. It is quite bright, and looks to be made from aluminum, correct for later 1930s manufacture. It has worn a bit due to the softer alloy, but the details are still mostly visible.

The blade is in excellent condition, showing most of the original factory final grind cross grain on both sides. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There are a few areas of very light staining on both sides, and there is also light runner wear, as with virtually all original German daggers. The grain is also a bit faint due to cleaning. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, however cleaning has removed a good amount of the factory darkening.

On the rear of the blade, there is the (RZM) logo over M 7 / 66, with a 1939 date underneath. Below this, the blade is etched with the 1935-41 Eickhorn trademark: a seated squirrel holding a sword, with the firm's name and location, Eickhorn / SOLINGEN below. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany.

According to J. Anthony Carter's book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm used this specific trademark with out the "ORIGINAL" word specifically on transitional SA daggers with the RZM marking. The company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all Solingen makers. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the transitional style, which has a dark brown enameled steel body. This is still in very good shape, with no dents we can see, and some finish chipping in areas. There is also some scuffing as well as crazing in the finish. The upper and lower fittings are non-magnetic solid nickel alloy, with a great look and just some light wear. The bottom "ball" of the chape fitting is a bit dented in, very common due to the softer alloy. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original dome headed screws, which show some signs of turning.

The Reichszeugmeisterei, 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 M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 66 stands for firm Carl Eickhorn of Solingen.

A very interesting transitional period SA dagger from the most famous of all Solingen Makers, complete with a very good original 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.