Early SA Dagger – J.A. Henckels

Product Description: Untouched Early SA Dagger – J.A. Henckels. It is ranked 4 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.  

The overall Early SA Dagger – J.A. Henckels definitely has everything that you would want to find on a rarer maker dagger like this one. The bright blade with visible cross graining is what you want to find and collect on these daggers.  Absolutely no sharpening or shadowing of any kind on the blade. Very little runner marks, greying and spotting are visible on the surface of this blade, which is typical from in and out wear of the scabbard and its age.  The acid etched “Alles für Deutschland” motto and Gebr. Bell maker mark are both nice and crisp, with a textbook light gray contrasting tone. The fit remains nice and tight and the tip comes to a perfect point. The SA Dagger slides out of and into the scabbard very smoothly with a nice fit.

The nickeled cross guards and pommel nut are very tight with nice mellowing patina color that matches throughout the entire dagger. The reverse of the lower crossguard is Gau stamped “WF”. The pommel nut does not show any marks or evidence of being over tightened, removed or tampered with in any way.  

The textbook Medium color wood grip is without cracks and only normal usage can be noted. Overall fit and tightness of the grip is near excellent with a very minor amount of gap on the upper cross guard from wood shrinkage, which would be attributed to age. Early Grip eagle and SA roundel has a perfect fit and retains 100% of its enamel. 

Included is a very lovely leather hanger with correct nickeled clip and buckle. These seem to always be missing from the dagger when you find them. This one was found with the dagger and we believe has always accompanied this dagger.

The brown anodized scabbard shows the normal surface “spidering” with the occasional corrosion spotting which is not unusual. The nickel fittings are complete and their patina matches perfectly with the hilt fittings. They are tight in place held fast by 4 period dome head screws, which are in perfect condition with no evidence of being removed or tightened.  If you have been looking for a nice example or an early Early SA Dagger – J.A. Henckels this is a must have!

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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