Early SA Dagger with Hanger – Böntgen & Sabin

Product Description: This is a choice example of a desirable early SA Dagger. The blade is nice and bright, with excellent crossgraining along its length. The “Alles für Deutschland” motto is crisply etched, with appealing original darkening. The reverse of the blade is marked on the ricasso with the distinctive maker mark of Böntgen & Sabin in Solingen. This is a desirable, seldom encountered maker, rating a 7 out of 10 on the McSarr scale. The handle on this one has solid nickel fittings, typical of this early period. The fittings show a pleasant, mellow patina. The reverse of the lower crossguard is stamped “Nrh” for SA-Gruppe Niederrhein. The fruitwood handle has attractive light tones, with one chip out of the upper reverse. The early type grip eagle and SA roundel have a nice uncleaned look with just a bit of verdigris. The scabbard of this dagger is great, with nearly all of the original early type anodized brown finish, and very little wear. The scabbard fittings are nickel silver, and are undented, with light verdigris on the reverse. The suspension ring retains a nice early pre-RZM horizontal hanger. The hanger is brown leather, with some surface wear. The hanger fittings are nickel. The spring clip is functional, and is marked on the reverse with “D.R.G.M.” as well as the stylized “A” emblem of the firm of Assmann. This early SA dagger displays extremely well, and has a lot going for it.

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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