Fred, This is the Type I chain that I have most often found with early nickel silver M36 daggers, maker marked blade Type I's, and it appears Gau nickel silver daggers sporting Type I chains. There is no mistaking the plating on these early Type I dagger when a collector sees them in hand. The liks are very thick, the plating is brilliant, and the construction is early, and these early Type I's are beautiful to examine. I have consider this Type I chain as being the 1st ones produced in this configuration.
Later Type I chains that are war time construction, have thinner links, plating that is many times flaked, and chains that were not even plated at all.
The examples in a Type I configuration that I've seen posted, and examined first hand that have been noted with nickel silver crossguards marked with the SA GAU, are match with this very early plated Type I chain.
You don't see a later plated chained M36, with all late characteristics, matched to nickel silver guards. But all of the examples that I can remember seeing in a Type I configuration, have these early plated link construction. I have seen the Gau marked crossguards with a Type II all nickel M36 dagger, as I remember.
