Hey, guys, I'm new around here, and new in general to militaria collecting. It's something I want to get into, but I'm starting with a piece I was recently left by my father, what I know is an early SA Eickhorn dagger. What's different from almost every dagger I've seen on this and other sites is what's on the cross-guard and scabbard.
I have the full back-story as to how my family got it, and some additional information to provide, but in the interest of receiving full, honest opinions, I'll save that for later. What are your thoughts about the dagger's condition, provenance, and value?
As a side note, I had eight years of German in High School and College (but that was some time ago, so a bit rusty), but the inscription says "Obertruppführer Josef Strätz / Fallen on May 28, 1941 / For Germany's Greatness / SA-Sturm 3/11 Zeil/M" (The last line I imagine was the SA unit to which he belonged, but I haven't had a chance to decode it. Also, for reference, the group mark is that of Franken, which makes sense, as this was obtained in Nuremburg.
