Description
Product Description: An extremely rare and in outstanding condition Early Chained SA High Leaders Dagger produced by the well known firm of Carl Eickhorn. The blade is produced of a hand-forged Damascus steel in the “Maiden Hair” pattern. This pattern features a very prominent grain pattern and a slightly dark finish. The obverse of the blade of this Chained SA High Leaders Dagger features a gilded raised motto which reads “Alles Für Deutschland”, and is flanked by oak leaf and acorn sprigs. The reverse side maker mark is a raised out seated squirrel “Carl Eickhorn Solingen” maker mark. The blade is expertly fitted to the lower cross-guard. The upper and lower silver honor cross-guards are hand enhanced with oak leaf and acorn motifs, and retain most of their original darkened silver finish. The grip is a medium contour ridge constructed type, fitting the crossguards very nicely. The SA roundel and silver party eagle are both expertly set into the wooden grip. The scabbard shell is completely straight and is covered with the fine-grained brown leather. The leather runs up to, but not under, the upper and lower fittings. All of the fittings are in fine condition, and with beautiful patina. The lower ball retains a beautiful round shape. These scabbard fittings are retained by early silvered screws. The center scabbard ramp firmly intact and shows no signs of tampering. The chain is the classic SA High Leader type featuring silvered swastika links which have been artificially darkened. The links of this example are unmarked on the back, as the production of the Honor/High Leader Daggers did not fall under the authority of the RZM, as their quality far surpassed that which the RZM accepted. The chain’s belt clip is also silvered and artificially darkened, and features the SA motto. This Chained SA High Leaders Dagger is truly a rare dagger in amazing condition.
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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Chained SA High Leaders Dagger
