Original German WWII Early M33 SS Dagger by Heinrich Böker & Co. with Scabbard in Rare Vertical Leather Hanger Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available: The SS (Schutzstaffel – ‘Protection Squadron’) was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf AH. Under the direction of the infamous Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe. The SS dagger was introduced in 1933. Early on, members of the SS were awarded their daggers during a ceremony at the Feldherrnhalle Memorial in Munich. The annual ritual, charged with mysticism and meant to evoke the traditions of medieval Teutonic knights, was held on 9 November, the date of the unsuccessful Munich Putsch of 1923. Both officers and enlisted men wore the identical dagger until 1936. After this time, only enlisted men wore the M1933 dagger.

The SS Dagger was equipped with nickel cross guards with an ebony wood grip. The black grip contained a National eagle with swas insignia recessed in the center area and an ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) button inset at the top. On early examples the scabbard shell surface was factory blackened using a metal bluing process. The scabbard had nickel mounts. The SS blade was a polished type containing the SS motto, Meine Ehre Heisst Treue (My Honor is Loyalty). Early examples bore one of three district stampings on the lower reverse crossguard of I, II, or III. Early examples were mostly hand-fit. Production of later examples was more standardized, using cheaper, nickel-plated fittings with black painted scabbard shells. They could be held with a standard belt hanger, or a much rarer vertical hanger.

This is a great example of the early style of dagger, complete with a scabbard and rare vertical hanger! The blade is marked on the reverse with the Heinrich Böker & Co., Baumwerk famous “framed” Baum (Tree) trademark logo, with BÖKER / SOLINGEN at the bottom. The company is a famous and desirable manufacturer, founded in 1869 in Solingen, the legendary “City of Blades” in western Germany. They were a known producer of SS daggers during the Pre-WWII period and after, and we have had several examples from Böker before. The company exists today, and has a long and storied history of top quality blade production. Knives made by this maker are highly desirable, and extremely rare on the market. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The blade on this example is in very good to excellent condition, and is a real gem! It still shows the original factory grind cross grain throughout the entire blade, except where it has been worn smooth by the scabbard runners. This texture is iconic, and is the definitive identifying characteristic for a real WWII German Blade. The blade is almost fully still bright, with just a bit of staining near one edge, and some overall scuffing and wear. The SS motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue (Loyalty is my Honor) is crisp with little wear, still showing almost all of the original factory darkening. There is just the tiniest bend on the very tip of the blade point. The blade shoulders perfectly meet the lower cross guard contour, and is solid in the grip. Truly a wonderful SS dagger blade!

The guards of this dagger and tang nut are in good condition throughout, and are of the earliest solid nickel silver construction. They have smooth surfaces, good crisp edges and precise accent grooves. They show just a bit of oxidation, which gives them a “warm” look, opposed to the cold “blue” look of chrome plating. The cross guard is marked with a Roman numeral I on the side, for the first SS district. There is no lifting of the finish, showing these are indeed solid nickel silver. Per a customer request, we checked the inside of the guards, and the pommel guard is marked with the raised letters F and B, while the cross guard is marked with a large X and the number 18.

The ebony grip is a great example, the best we have seen in some time! The ebony wood used to make the grip is unfortunately brittle, and the treatment used to give it a uniform look exacerbates this. However on this example we cannot discern any cracks, and there is just the tiniest chip missing on the rear near the very edge next to the cross guard. The color is very good, and wood grain can be seen, which combined with the overall condition really makes this a fantastic grip. The symbol button is positioned at about 7:00 o’clock, as it should be. The silvered SS symbol and double circles around them have a nice matching patina with the nickel still intact, with a little verdigris and complete enamel. The nickel grip eagle is the “high-necked” type with the beak pointing slightly up. It remains in crisp condition, showing little wear to the bird’s head, breast and wing feathering and to the talons, wreath or swas.

The scabbard shell is a very good example example, with a straight steel shell showing very little in the way of denting. The shell originally had a black “anodized” blued finish, which was then lacquered to protect it. This example has had about 50% of the lacquer wear / flake away, however the anodized finish is still very well retained overall, which we rarely see. There is some wear, with just a few areas of oxidation, but this is really a great looking scabbard. The matching solid nickel silver scabbard mounts are in good condition, with a lightly oxidized patina. The lower ball is dented in, common with the softer nickel alloy, and it looks like it was dropped, which pushed up the bottom fitting a bit. All four nickel dome-headed screws are present and show no turning.

The scabbard is held securely in the extremely rare leather vertical hanger, topped with a nickel hanger clip, which is attached to a belt hanger with a plated steel loop. The leather is in very good condition, still supple without any tears or or major issues. It only shows wear and flaking to the finish, expected on an 80 year old leather item. These are extremely rare in any condition, but especially when they are fully intact. The nickel spring clip itself is marked with a “barred A” followed by D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reiches Gebrauchs Musterschutz) – meaning it is a protected patented design under the Reich Government. This design was registered to the owner of the “Barred A” trademark, F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, a large maker of belts, buttons, and other accoutrements.

A fantastic early SS dagger by a famous Solingen maker with a great blade, complete with the scabbard and rare vertical hanger! They rarely get better than this! Ready to display!

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