Original German WWII 1938 dated SA Dagger by Anton Wingen, Jr. with Scabbard & Hanger – RZM M7/51 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely condition early war period production SA Dagger, made by the rare firm of Anton Wingen Jr., Stahlwarenfabrik (Steel Wares Factory), based in Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in Western Germany. The dagger has very nice nickel-plated fittings throughout. The cross guards and tang nut are nickel plated zinc alloy, and have ;much plating intact, showing some oxidation and lifting. The pommel guard was hit a bit worse off with this, and glue was used to stabilize the sections of the plating that were falling off. There is also some oxidation where the grip wood meets the guards, which is typical. There is not any major denting on the grips, though it looks like there may possibly be a crack through the pommel guard near the retaining nut.

The grip is a fine product having a fine reddish colored mahogany tone in the surfaces and having medium center ridge construction. This grip is in very good condition with great grain, and fits the crossguards well. There is no chipping or cracking, just some scratches and dents from service. The SA symbol button is nicely set having fully intact enameling, and the plating intact with just a bit of verdigris and oxidation as shown. The details are still there to the inlaid aluminum eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas (hook cross).

The blade of this example is in excellent condition, with almost 100% of the factory cross grain still visible. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. There is the usual runner wear and just a bit of light staining in areas, but otherwise it is close to unissued. The edge has not been messed with at all, the the point is still quite sharp. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is still quite crisp, with the factory darkening retained at nearly 100%.

This example was made by Anton Wingen, Jr. of Solingen, and the rear is marked with both the RZM contract information and their “Standing Knight” trademark logo :

((RZM))
M7 / 51
1938
(Standing Knight)

Founded in 1888 and registered with Solingen Authorities in 1901, this company first became popular during WWI when their high quality hunting and combat knives became popular with the troops. The company continued operation after WWII, stopping production in 1995, and closing in 1997. They manufactured SA and NSKK daggers during WWII, first with their trademark and later with RZM code M7/51, per J. Anthony Carter’s excellent book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and still has much of the original brown enamel paint on the steel scabbard body. We cannot feel or see any major dents or other issues. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching nickel-plated zinc alloy mounts. These mounts are in very good condition overall, with only some light wear on the contact points. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws.

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 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.

The Reichszeugmeisterei, or RZM, was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M7 in the code stands for knives/daggers, contractor 19 stands for firm Eduard Wüsthof.

A lovely example of a Pre-WWII SA dagger from a rare & desirable maker, complete with 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.