Original German Early WWII NSKK Dagger by Rare Maker Heinrich Leupold LEUCO of Gefrees with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice early pattern NSKK Dagger, made by the rare maker Heinrich Leupold of Gefrees, Bavaria under the brand name LEUCO. This is the first item we have ever had from this rare maker, which looks to only really have made SA and NSKK daggers during the third reich period. The dagger comes complete with an original scabbard, which looks to be an early war scabbard that had the scabbard body painted black during the period. It looks like the grip was also painted black at this time, though much of that paint has worn away. It is very possible that this was originally an SA dagger, which are identical to the NSKK dagger except for the finish color on the scabbard.

The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, and is a really nice service used example. The cross guards and tang nut are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice lightly aged patina. There is some age to these mounts but there is no lifting anywhere, showing that they are solid and not plated. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked Fr, for Franken, a district in west central Germany, with the principal cities being Nürnberg (Nuremberg) and Suhl. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior. The nickel alloy pommel nut is in great shape, only minor signs of turning on the hexagonal portion, and the handle is still tight on the tang.

The grip is a fine product having a nice chocolate brown color, with a medium center ridge construction. It was painted black at one point, however most of that finish has flaked away, exposing the brown wood underneath. A few makers such as AESCULAP, Sauer, and others tended to use this color instead of the more common mahogany red color. There is some light pressure denting present, but no chipping or cracks that we can see. It fits the crossguards nicely, with no wobble we can feel. The symbol button is nicely set, and still has about 60% of the enamel intact, and the plating looks to be fully intact. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. Most of the details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas. There is a bit of wear and oxidation, showing that is the correct solid nickel silver for an early pattern eagle.

The blade is in very good condition and mostly bright, still showing the original factory final grind cross grain on both sides, though it is faint in areas. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. It shows some signs of cleaning, but the grain is still present in many areas, except where the runners have worn it smooth. There is evidence of minor past staining on the blade, which was cleaned away. The tip of the blade is still intact, and the edges are correctly unsharpened. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, and the factory darkening retained at about 30%.

The rear of the blade bears the etched trademark logo of Heinrich Leupold, a “flower head” along side LEUCO. This is a very rare maker that we have not encountered before, located in Gefrees, Bavaria. The marks of this metalsmith have really only been found on early SA and NSKK daggers. Per J. Anthony Carter’s book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm may have been related to Johann Leupold AG, located in the same city, with Heinrich possibly being a son.

The scabbard shell is straight and is the early-war style, which originally had an “anodized” finish on the steel, which was then lacquered. This example lost all of the lacquer, and looks to have had the anodization mostly wear away. It then had the body repainted with black enamel during the WWII period, and that finish now shows crazing and checking due to age. There are a few areas of finish loss, which has allowed the scabbard body to oxidize. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, with a great lightly used look. The chape fitting at the end of the scabbard is dented, though not split, as the nickel alloy is somewhat soft, a common thing to see. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original dome headed screws, which are in very good shape

A very nice early war SA dagger by a very rare and desirable maker, complete with a repainted scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 8 3/4″
Overall length: 13 3/4”
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 10”

History of the SA & NSKK-

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.

After the purge, the NSKK, which had been a part of the SA, was split off into a separate organization. They retained the same daggers as the SA, however now used a black painted scabbard, and their officer’s daggers had a few differences as well. Many already had SA daggers, so these had the scabbards painted black over the original brown anodized finish.