Early SA Dagger by Rob. Giersch

Product Description: This is a rare early SA Dagger by Rob. Giersch. It is ranked 7 out of 10 on the SA McSarr rarity-rating list. Please let us know if you do not have one of these early SA dagger rank list and we can tell you where to find one. They are very handy to have as it explains how rare each maker is.  

This rare early SA dagger shows some age, but has a lot going for it. The blade on this one has some graying and pitting from poor storage, and has been polished to remove the worst of this, though evidence of the pitting remains. Despite the old cleaning, the motto remains crisp. The attractive maker mark for Rob. Giersch on the blade’s reverse is still quite dark. The blade has no bends and comes to a perfect point. The handle fittings are the typical high quality nickel silver that one would expect on an early piece like this. The reverse of the lower crossguard has a clear “Wm.” SA group stamp. The grip on this early SA dagger is an attractive medium brown, with a typical light patina to the grip eagle, and flawless original enamel on the SA button. The wood grip shows some rub wear from handling, and what appears to be either a crack or possibly an old repair is visible on the lower front part, though this does not detract from the dagger’s visual impact in any way. The fit of the grip with the other handle components remains tight. This early SA dagger is complete with its original scabbard. The brown anodized finish on this early scabbard shows wear and lots of spidering and oxidation, likely from having been stored in a damp environment in the past. The scabbard fittings are nickel silver, a perfect match to the grip fittings. These scabbard fittings have the expected age patina, and a bit of verdigris buildup. The scabbard is straight, the fittings are undamaged. Despite the aforementioned condition issues, this one remains very desirable as an early piece by a rare maker.

Historical Description: The “Sturmabteilung” (SA), formed in 1921, was the original paramilitary branch of the Nazi party. With the Nazi rise to power in 1933, a dress dagger was introduced for wear with the iconic “brown shirt” uniform. As the SA was a huge organization, with an eventual strength of close to three million men, there was a huge demand for these daggers, and they were produced by 123 different makers, from larger factories to small, cottage-industry workshops. The daggers featured a wood grip with an inset enameled SA emblem and the German national eagle and swastika emblem. The blade was etched with the motto of the SA, “Alles für Deutschland.” The early daggers were crafted with the utmost quality, in both workmanship and materials. Originally, the name and logo of each manufacturer was etched on the reverse of the blade. These early daggers featured hand-fitted nickel silver fittings, and scabbards that had an anodized coating. Prior to around 1935, the daggers were stamped with an SA group letter on the reverse of the crossguard. In 1936, the Reichszeugmeisterie der NSDAP (RZM) organization began to standardize the manufacture of the SA dagger. Commercial type manufacturer markings were to be eliminated, and replaced with the RZM logo as well as an RZM code to indicate the manufacturer. Late production daggers marked with RZM logos usually are made with plated zinc fittings, and have aluminum grip eagles. Instead of the early anodizing process, later scabbards were simply painted. During the transitional period around 1936, many daggers were manufactured bearing the RZM logo and maker code in combination with the earlier type maker names and logos. These transitional daggers can be found with early or late features, or a mix of both.

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