Original German Early WWII SA Dagger by Paul F. Dick of Esslingen with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an very nice patinated condition early pattern SA Dagger, made by the very desirable firm of Paul. F Dick, located in Esslingen, Germany. This company had made SA daggers since the Röhm era, but only made them in limited numbers throughout the war. It comes comes compete with an original scabbard, which shows wear and oxidation, but does not look to have had any refinishing or parts replaced.

The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, and is a very nice example. The crossguards are in very good condition throughout with all fittings having a nice lightly aged polished patina. There is some age to these mounts but there is no lifting anywhere, showing that they are solid and not plated. They show only light wear with just a bit of light denting and scratching, especially on the cross guard. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked Wm, for Westmark, which encompassed the area around Saarbrücken, in the extreme West of Germany. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior.

The grip is a fine product having a nice brown color, with medium center ridge construction showing overall light wear and denting. This grip is in good condition and fits the crossguards nicely, with no chips we can see, though there is a crack between the emblem and the pommel. There is some scuffing and scratching overall, giving it a lovely worn look. The SA symbol button is still nicely set, with most of the translucent enamel intact, though part of the plating is worn away, exposing the brass base material. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. It shows some light wear and verdigris on it, showing that it is solid nickel alloy. However, the details are still there to the eagle to include the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross).

The blade is in good condition, showing that it has suffered light overall oxidation and staining, which was then later cleaned away. This unfortunately has removed virtually all of the original factory final polish grind cross grain, and left a bit of a speckled matte finish to the surface. The edges are still properly unsharpened, and there are nicks or dents on the edge. There is also the usual runner wear on the surfaces of the blade. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, with the factory darkening mostly removed by cleaning.

This fine example was produced by desirable maker Paul. F. Dick of Esslingen, and rear of the dagger is marked with the company’s trademark “der Pfeil” (the Arrow) logo inside a cartouche:

(Arrow) F. DICK

Paul Freidrich Dick, Stahlwaren- und Werkzeug-Fabrik (Steelware and Tool Factory) was a storied edged weapon producer located in Esslingen am Neckar, Württemberg. According to J. Anthony Carter’s book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, the company was first founded in 1778, and traded as Freidr. Dick until 1920, when it became Paul. F. Dick. They made most of their SA and NSKK daggers with the 1895 “No. 433” trademark marked vertically on the blade.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the early-war style, which were produced with a brown “anodized” finish on the steel, which was then lacquered. This example still retains probably about 50% of the original lacquer, which has worn away due to age and use. The anodized finish on the steel is still relatively well retained, showing wear and oxidation where the protective lacquer has been chipped / scratched away. The body is still straight, with no dents or bends in the body that we can see. The upper and lower fittings are solid nickel silver, with a great look and some dents and scratches showing typical wear. The chape is a bit dented at the end, as the nickel alloy is somewhat soft, making this a common thing to see. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original screws.

A very nice early war SA dagger from a rare maker, complete with an original scabbard. Ready to display!

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

History of the SA-

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.