[BigG]

I have a WWII era Nazi dagger that I took in trade a number of years back but I really have no use for it and it belongs in a collection. What I am trying to do is assign a reasonable value to it and sell it.

The dagger is a "Brown Shirts" dagger which has a symmetrical double edged blade with a curved wooden handle complete with brown steel sheath and leather hanger. The blade is Solingen and marked Aesculapius as the manufaturer, I assume. The blade has never been sharpened and is marked "Alles fur Deutschland" in Germanic script.

The finish on the blade is very highly polished with a sort of watery set of fine lines over the entire surface. This finish would be lost if the blade were ever used or polished.

The fittings on the knife are metal and include a hilt and a butt cap and the sheath has a matching metal end cap and where the blade inserts. There is a leather frog with a metal clip attachment. The handle is brwon wood with a Nazi eagle and a stylized SA monogram (Sturmabteilung) = storm detachment or Brown Shirts.

This thing is in as good a condition as you will find as it has no real wear. What would be a good price range for this article?

I can't post a picture right now but I may be able to later this evening. It is the typical dress dagger you often see, though.

[BigG]

Here are a couple pics. They are not that good quality but the knife is close to perfect. The rub marks on blade are from a spring or something that holds the knife into sheath.

I'm asking the members here because there is no real good data on the search engines. We have some real experts here on TFL. ;)

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i115/BigG_photos/SADagger036.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i115/BigG_photos/SADagger037.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i115/BigG_photos/SADagger035.jpg

[Pax Jordana]

We have some real experts here on TFL.

Well, hell, go ask them then.

:eek:



I'd think you'd have better luck at BladeForums.

[BigG]

Oops - meant THR. Freudian slip. I was a member there before here and completely regressed when I posted those photos. Sorry to chap your hide. ;)

[Pax Jordana]

haha, it's no big, just taking a good-natured cheap shot.

In all seriousness, though, BladeForums has a LOT more collectors than we do.

I get the feeling that THR's members are more.. how shall we say.. pragmatists. I mean, in between all those "what caliber for tyrannosaurs" threads :rolleyes:

[hso]

Actually, the folks at Knifeforums might be more help. They have a military knife section.

[BigG]

Thank you all for the advice. I have posted on Bladeforums and got a pretty good response in c. 5 MINUTES. !!! :what:

BigG... read my post above; thats exactly what you have: a maker marked 1933 SA dagger with a repainted scabbard and the original hanger. Value these days for that condition will range from $250 to perhaps even $500 (that difference being from dealer to retail) depending on where/how fast, you wish to sell.
Virtually all 33s I've seen maker marked in nickel silver mounted scabbards have had an anodized (steel) brown scabbard body, "however" I do recall hearing from several collectors that there were exceptions to this practice and since I've never owned an AESCULAPIUS, I can't say they didn't do paint over anodized at some point either early, late or continually through their production of maker marked dags. If that painted scabbard turns out to be original to the piece, add another $100 to the above prices.

regards, mitch

There is another post above this by the same author that gives "who shot who" about the whole series of knives which were a cottage industry in helping them get out of the Depression and a very popular item in post 1933 Germany. Apparently available in all stores, funds going to the NSDAP. Regards, BigG