German SA Dagger -
The SA dagger represents one of the most affordable blades to collect. This is due to the fact that the daggers were
produced in the millions since 1933 to the end of the war. During its life span, more than 100 manufacturers were
known to produce the dagger. In addition, not all manufacturer's produced the entire dagger, some simply bought parts
from other factories and followed through the steps of assembly. The assembling company would obtain plain blades and
place their logo on them. All blades are inscribed with the phrase "Alles Fur Deutschland".
In the early days of production there was virtually no quality control except for the standards set by each independent
manufacturer. It was not until 1934 when the RZM establishes some means of control. As a result, differences in the
sizes of the handles, scabbards and blades can be found in the earlier samples. Making it sometimes impossible to
interchange parts between daggers.
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The Rohm dagger was created in order to recorgnize Ernst Rohm's great contributions to
the SA. The dagger was identical to the regular SA dagger except that it had the
inscription "In Herzlicher Freundschaft Ernst Rohm" on the reverse of the blade. This
dagger was authorized on December 1931 and became known as the "Rohm" dagger. Around
100,000 samples were created for distribution among its members.
Over the years Rohm's political views started to divert too far apart from Hitler's
views. As a result, Hitler charged Rohm with treason and ordered his execution
(The night of the Long Knives). After this action took place it was ordered that all
Rohm daggers be eliminated from circulation. This was achieved in one of two ways; The
dagger could be destroyed or the special inscription could be taken off via grinder.
Having had to pay for the dagger, many members decided to go the grinder route instead of
having to pay for another dagger. Daggers who still bear the entire Rohm dedication are
hard to find.
Common manufacturers of the Rohm dagger include:
MANUFACTURER NAME |
Eickhorn |
EP&S |
F. Dick |
Henckels |
Wusthof |
Herder |
Aesculap |
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The "Military minute" is a series of instructional videos created by MilitaryItems.com for the purpose of
providing basic information about military collectibles. The idea is to expose people to the exciting
world of military collectibles.
The video presentation coupled with detailed photographs and written information, including a military
collectible's price guide, enhances the visitor's experience.
Whether you are a long time collector, a beginner or simply have an interest in the history and value of
each collectible, we hope that you find the information presented here useful.
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This page is a recognition and identification guide for German bayonets. Multiple
detailed photos of a specific sample are provided. Descriptions point out specific
points that should be noted.
One of the most commonly asked questions is "How much is my German bayonet worth?".
A price guide is included here to address this question. The value of the Nazi bayonets is
reviewed over a period of several years. A trend can be observed. The present worth
of the police sword in the collector's market is illustrated.
This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com,
a company dedicated
to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military antiques and
collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.
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The blade of the dagger has the manufacturer's logo inscribed near the base. The
design consists of two vertical oval shapes, one inside the other. A squirrel is
placed in the innermost oval. It is facing left and it is holding a sword.
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The handle of the dagger has two metal fittings. One of them is the handguard which
is marked with the district in which the dagger was issued.
The scabbard is of metal construction. The body is painted to match the color of
the handle. Two metal fittings are affixed to the scabbard. One in the throat area
the other in the tip. The throat has a ring attached to it. A leather strap known as
the dagger hanger is secured to the ring.
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Many German edge weapons are currently
reproduced.
It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because
the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with
the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this item.
Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of
the collectible.
If you have an interest is seeing other edge weapons of the Third Reich, you can do so by going
to our
WWII German daggers and Swords
identification guide, Where we cover blades from the Heer (Army), Navy (Kriegsmarine), Air Force
(Luftwaffe) and other organizations.
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