Dear collector friends,

I have always thought that my Gebr. Heller SA had suffered a blade retip... even if it had the correct, full blade lenght.

Until I came across another Heller, also with a super conditioned blade: the tip is made just the same, it is thicker than what we see at the usual SA blade.

So I conclude that Gebr. Heller made the blade tips (at least for a certain period) like that.

Also notice that both daggers bear the same (worn out) "Th" stamp for gau "Thuringen". -> picture 3

If you own a Gebr. Heller SA yourself, check out the tip and tell us about it!

Best regards,

Herman

Herman,

I agree. Whether it was Heller or the person who ground/finished their blades, we'll never know for sure.

Once the excess flash had been clipped off, the rest was all hand work and for a lower volume manufacturer such as Heller, it is quite possible that the final grind was the work of one man.

I think Herman may have found something here. Perhaps other small manufacturers would show similar characteristics suggesting one man or team of men finished many of their blades. Very good observation!

Dave

Hi Hermann I own an early Gebr.Heller also which i will check out the tip...but the Heller I own is identical to the one you show in the first photo top position...as the motto is deeper in depth and full of pimples. I will check this out tomorrow for you and post my findings. Regards Larry

Hi Hermann..sorry Im a day late..but here are a few photos of my Gebr. Heller. My dagger is with the deep etch. I see a little fatness at the blade tip like yours..but not as prominent. I hope this is helpful to you. Regards Larry

Hello Larry,

Thx for posting your great SA dagger!

It confirms my observations: a typical Gebr. Heller tip!

Best regards,

Herman

Something new to be learned every day!!

Thanks for the keen observation Herman!

Ik moest er wel even mijn bril bij opzetten

Excellent thread. I wonder how many Hellers or other daggers have been erroneously listed as being "re-tipped" and then offered at a lower price?? Regards, Ryan S

Excellent observation!! sadly recently sold mine so cant check it out but thanks for sharing the study,
cheers Ronnie

Guys, if the length is correct, you can't call it retipped. Remember these blades were hand finished and every blade grinder/polisher made the job his way. The blades were also slightly different in thickness depending on where they were forged. I've came across several blades (mostly Heer/LW) with such tips, so no issues here.

I agree with member 777 . For whatever reason there was less consistancy on the Sa daggers compared to SS M33 daggers . For instance the blade motto placement is not consistant as with SS daggers . Who knows why . One thing that was consistant was the blade length as 777 stated . If youre blade is 220mm +/- 2mm and doesnt appear to be re-welded/grained I would not worry . Having said that , I have 2 early Hellers that look similar to the dagger that started this thread . Of course this is JMO .

I do not believe that there is any difference in quality between SS and SA daggers. Also the positioning of the motto can vary just the same on SS daggers as on SA's, Carl Eickhorn being the best example.
The higher variation on characteristics when it comes to SA's , simply is the result of the fact that over 200 different makers made the early SA dagger compared to a fraction of that number only made SS's.

Would like to see some more Gebr. Heller SA's here. So if you have one, post it please.

Best regards,

Herman