Hi, I am new to this forum. The members here have some really nice daggers, and I love reading about the history tied to some of the examples I’ve seen.

I don't have much history to tell about mine. I picked up this early SA dagger at a garage sale several months ago and that's about all I know about it's history. I found it in a box that looked like it hadn't been touched in at least 30 years if that helps at all.

I have spent some time online learning about my dagger and trying to pin down a value for it (so I can eventually sell it), but I have hit a bit of a roadblock. My scabbard has a throat fitting design that I have never seen in other online SA scabbard images. I'm wondering if anyone here possibly knows anything about why mine is different and what that means? From looking around this forum and from my research on other SA dagger websites I have been able to figure out the following about my dagger/scabbard:

1- Early style with solid nickel crossguards = pre RZM
2- "Wm" stamp on lower crossguard indicates it was made in Westmark
3- My finial ball is relatively undamaged which is good in terms of value. There is no indication it has been reshaped in any way.
4- I have not done anything to clean it, and all the patina appears to be correct for its’ age, so if my scabbard throat is in fact a replacement part it must be from a very long time ago?
5- My pommel nut shows no tool marks, disrupted patina, etc.
6- I don’t see any identification marks on the scabbard connecting ring, strap, buckle, or clip.
7- The blade has a maker’s mark of a rectangle with an arrow inside it (pointing to the right) and then the name “F. Dick”. I haven’t been able to find much related to this maker mark other than it indicates an early manufacturing date.
8- The roundel on the handle has some green oxidation on it, but all of the enamel appears to still be there.
9- The acid etching on my blade remains crisp and easy to read.
10- There is a dent in the side of the scabbard but it appears to have been there a long time because the rust within the dent matches the rest of the scabbard’s patina.
11- The blade tip is not dented or bent.
12- The handle has a nice tight fit everywhere except for where it meets one side of the lower crossguard. There is a slight gap visible at that location as well as a small piece of the handle wood missing.
13- The eagle insignia appears well made with tightly carved handle wood around its’ perimeter.

Good analysis and good dagger.

The maker is F. Dick of Essligen am Nekar in Wurttemberg.

A correction: The dagger was distributed in the Westmark SA region but made in Esslingen.

The copper band and ring are not original but a really cool looking fix. I expect the original somehow pulled out and the fellow who repaired it was really talented.

A piece with a lot of character. Thanks for showing it.

--dj--Joe

Thanks for the correction and the information regarding the scabbard throat fitting Dave. In a way I am happier to hear it's most likely a well-done repair instead of being a replacement throat fitting cannibalized from a different dagger scabbard design (what I was thinking originally).

The character of this dagger is growing on me. I have always preferred used looking items over pristine specimens, because there's more to wonder about where its' been. I might end up keeping it for a while so I can learn a little more about the history behind German daggers and World War 2 before selling it to someone else.

Dagr,

There is active rust on the blade and the scabbard that should be stopped. The purists here will suggest you buy a can of Renaissance Wax which is a museum conservators wax. Good stuff but $17.00 or more for a can. Any paste wax will do in a pinch. Add a light coat, gently polish it off then do it again. Ang again. You will be surprised the crap that comes off on the rag!

Second point is that the 'patina' is most likely nicotine. I am guessing that the The dagger was hung on a wall of someone who smoked. They also left it on the wall while painting with white paint ... you can see the splatter at the top of the grip.

I agree with what has been said, nice looking dagger with a lot of character & an interesting fix as well. Initially I thought the coloring on the fittings was gilt but looked closer & it definitely resembles nicotine patination, just adds to the character IMHO.

Nice!

Thanks for the advice everyone. I just had a can of Renaissance Wax delivered, and I will do like you mentioned and wax the blade and the brown part of the scabbard to stop the active rust. I will probably leave everything else as is so I don't rub off the patina that I like. Nicotine patination is likely spot on. I found the dagger in a vintage storage box covered in dust, but I could tell the house had been occupied by heavy smokers for a long time.

The white spots are interior wall paint. There were originally three times as many, but most popped off easily with a quick flick of my fingernail. I didn't want to risk damaging the wood or the patina so I left the more firmly stuck spots there for now.

596 I can not believe how many 3rd Reich daggers have those wee paint spots. See it all the time!
definitely a sign of authenticity

i was told by a old helmet collector that those little white spots were spider excrement. what do you guys think. paul

Great looking uncleaned early SA !!

love that bespoke copper made ring attachment, cool !!!


Regards Mac 66.

I've seen those white spots quite a few times as well. Based on the somewhat even distribution pattern, and some difficulty to get off, I suspect paint spots as well.

if they are paint how come they are always white and almost always the same size. paul

spider poop is black.
white spots from the fine spray that comes off a roller when you are painting your ceiling are normally white and uniform in size and we have all had to clean them up after painting with a roller.

Roller and brush spray can carry a great distance, I know because I'm still finding it in odd places 3 years after a repaint in the living room!

The band looks nice and tight and would have served the SA man well...I am not sure if individual components for SA daggers would have been readily available from retailers/manufacturers (if at all..) Moreover, a replacement scabbard would have been pricey during the period for those of limited means (remember, not all SA men were paid...)

This is a factory ground Rohm dagger also.

I agree with Ron with this being a Factory refinish Rohm . The SA Gruppe Mark "Wm" "Sw" and "He" ..were all used in Rohm and Non Rohm Production.

Depending how well the grain refinish was performed..you might be able to see a little swagger of the blade spine looking down towards the tip not being perfectly straight..but you must look carefully.

of special note also seen below is a Ground Rohm with the logo close to the crossguard as seen with many other Rohm blades except for a certain few that didnt not move the logo.

Pay no mind to the grip to crossguard fit....but the blade logo in study. A great percentage of grips from this producer were of a dark wood.

Regards Larry