Original German Early WWII SA Dagger by Rare Maker Hugo Linder Deltawerk with Scabbard & Hanger – McSARR Rarity Rated 7 of 10 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition early pattern SA Dagger, made by the exceedingly rare firm of Hugo Linder Deltawerk, located in Solingen, Germany. This is only the second example of any type of edged weapon that we have had from this maker. This company is only known to have produced a small number of SA / NSKK Daggers during the early period, with few other edged weapons. It is rated 7 out of 10 for rarity on the McSARR (McAlvanah SA Rarity Rating) scale, assembled based on 18,000 daggers as seen by Mike McAlvanah. Makers of this rarity are extremely desirable and sought after by collectors. It comes complete with an original repainted scabbard, which is in very good shape, with an attached hanger and belt loop.

The dagger has solid non-magnetic 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 and verdigris 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. The hand executed accent grooves are very well done. The lower reverse guard is Gruppe/Gau marked Ns, for Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) a district in north central Germany, with the principal city being Hannover. This feature was only seen on daggers produced 1935 and prior.

The grip is a fine product having a lovely mahogany red color, with medium center ridge construction, with some light wear and some pressure dents / grooves. The grain is lovely on this example, with some great color variation. This grip is in very good condition and fits the crossguards nicely, with no major cracks or chunks missing, and a lovely polished glow. The non-magnetic pommel nut does not show any turning on the outside, and the grip is still tightly secured, with no wiggle.

The SA symbol button is still nicely set but well worn. The grip eagle is a fine example being the style with beak that points straight. 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 gppd condition, still showing areas  of the original factory final grind cross grain on both sides. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is  staining in areas. Both sides show runner wear as well, present on just about every dagger out there. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, with the factory darkening still retained almost completely. The edge has correctly not has any post-manufacture sharpening.

This fine example was produced by very rare maker Hugo Linder Deltawerk, located in Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in Western Germany. The rear of the dagger is marked with the company’s trademark “Triangle Enclosing a Vine Leaf” logo, with the maker name and address:

HUGO LINDER DELTAWERK
(Logo)
SOLINGEN

According to J. Anthony Carter’s book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm was founded in 1878 and registered with Solingen authorities December 12th, 1928. It was originally listed as a scissor maker, but eventually also moved into edged implements for agriculture, particularly related to grape farming, hence the grape vine leaf in the logo. They also were engaged in the production of bicycle parts. They made only a few SA/NSKK daggers in the early period, with few other edged weapons.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and is the early-war style, but appears to have originally been an SA or SS version as black finish is peaking through areas of the brown paint loss. The brown paint appears to be period authentic and not post war applied. The throat nicely matches the crossguards, and all fittings have their original screws.

Attached to the hanger ring on the scabbard is a very nice leather belt hanger, which has the correct solid nickel alloy hardware. The leather shows light wear to the finish, though it is still supple, and the spring clip is fully functional. There are no markings on the leather or hardware that we can see.

A great early war SA dagger from a very rare maker, complete with a great original scabbard and 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.