Original German WWII 1938 dated SA Dagger with Scabbard by Hartkopf & Co. – RZM M.7/40 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This excellent condition mid-war period produced SA Dagger has nickel-plated fittings throughout. The crossguards and tang nut are nickel plated aluminum, and have about 75% of the plating intact, with some plating flaking and oxidation in areas. There is some oxidation where the grip wood meets the guards, which is typical. There is not any major chipping or dents in the fittings, just the usual effects of age.

The grip is a fine product having a nice red 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. The symbol button is nicely set having fully intact translucent enameling, and the plating intact with just a bit of verdigris. The details are still there to the inlaid aluminum eagle, including the beak, breast feathering, wing feathering, talons, wreath and mobile swas.

The scabbard shell is straight throughout and has good original brown paint. It has a few chips, but does not look to have been repainted at any time. The scabbard shell is equipped with fine matching nickel-plated steel mounts. These mounts are in very good condition overall, with only light denting to the lower ball. They nicely match the crossguards and are complete with all four dome head screws. This really is a nice solid scabbard.

The blade of this example is in excellent condition and has virtually all of its factory crossgrain. There are some scattered areas of light staining on the body and edge of the blade, which we have left in place to preserve the authenticity. There is also the usual runner wear from the scabbard. The acid-etched Alles für Deutschland (Everything for Germany) SA motto is crisp, with a lot of the factory darkening still intact. The reverse is etched with a double circle with RZM logo in the middle over M. 7 / 37 / 38.. This indicates 1938 manufacture by Hartkopf & Co. of Solingen. This company was located in Solingen, and was listed as a Taschenmesserfabrik (Pocket knife factory).

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 40 stands for firm Hartkopf & Co., a knife maker from Solingen, the famous “City of Blades” in Western Germany, which produced mostly pocket knives. They continued long after the war, and their trademarks are still in use today.

An excellent mid-war example of an SA dagger from a Solingen maker. Ready to display!

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.