Original German Early WWII SA Dagger by Anton Wingen Jr. of Solingen with Scabbard & Hanger Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an very nice condition early pattern SA Dagger, made by the well-known firm of Anton Wingen jun., Stahlwarenfabrik, in Solingen, Germany. It comes comes compete with an original scabbard, which looks to be a replacement mid war pattern, and has a very nice belt hanger attached.

The dagger has solid nickel silver fittings throughout, and is a very nice example. The crossguards 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. They show only light wear with almost no denting or scratches. There is some light verdigris buildup near the fittings, caused by the metal reacting with the wood. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked He, for Hessen, a district in the west of Germany, with the principal city being Frankfurt.

The grip is a fine product having a lovely reddish brown color, with medium center ridge construction, and fits the guards nicely. Most of the grip shows only light wear with a bit of pressure denting, however there are chunks missing near the cross guard on both sides. There is also some cracking near the pommel guard on the reverse side. The staining treatment used for the grips makes the wood somewhat brittle, and prone to cracking. The pommel nut is non-magnetic, and does show some turning, probably to keep the grip tight.

The SA symbol button is still nicely set, and still has almost all of the brown enamel intact, with just a bit of wear and oxidation to the metal. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. It has just a bit of verdigris on it, showing that it is solid nickel alloy, and it has patinated nicely. 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, still showing areas original factory final grind cross grain on both sides near the crossguard, as well as other scattered areas on the surface. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. Much of the blade however shows light oxidation staining, whihc has been cleaned off, leaving a bit of a peppery patina. This has also removed the darkening from the markings. Both sides of the blade show runner wear, present on virtually every original German dagger out there. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still crisp, with the factory darkening removed almost completely.

This fine example was produced by Anton Wingen Jun., Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory, a known producer of this knife during WWII. The rear of the dagger is marked:

ANTON
WINGEN JR
(Standing Knight Logo)
SOLINGEN

The firm was a cutler and metalsmith company first founded in Solingen, Germany in 1888, and was formally registered in late 1901. They first came to prominence during WWI with their high quality hunting and combat knives, which were popular with troops. They acquired the “Knight” logo from Clauberg in 1920, and continued using it through the Third Reich period. This style trademark is specific to early SA Daggers, per J. Anthony Carter’s GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS. They later moved to a simplified trademark with an RZM code in 1939. The company continued operation well after the war, finally closing in 1997.

The scabbard on this example has been replaced with a mid-late war pattern example, probably when the original was lost or damaged. The steel shell is mostly straight throughout, with a few small dents. The original brown paint is almost 100%, showing some checking and other signs of age. The scabbard shell is fitted with fine nickel-plated steel mounts, which show only minor oxidation and wear. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws without any signs of turning.

Attached to the hanger ring on the scabbard is a very nice later pattern belt hanger, with plated steel hardware. The leather is in very good condition, showing a bit of wear and cracking to the finish. The plated steel clip on the end is marked with (RZM) code M5 / 71 for Overhoff & Cie. of Lüdenscheid, whose OLC in a diamond trademark is also present.

A very nice early war SA dagger from a well-known maker, complete with a very good original scabbard & belt hanger. 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.