Chances of a transitional SA dagger sporting aluminum crossguards?

[Krullies]

Hello all!

First of: very best wishes for the new year to all readers comming across this post

I'm having a discussion about crossguards. Specifically: about a transitional SA dagger by Eickhorn, having aluminum crossguards.

My opinion is that a transitional SA could very well exist having plated or solid nickel-silver guards. The guards should match the fittings used on the scabbard; plated fittings with plated crossguards, solid nickel fittings with solid crossguards.

I've read and heard about aluminum guards, but these were used later on, so only late-period daggers would have aluminum guards. Am I mistaking there? Is aluminum used during mid-period production as well?

And if aluminum indeed was used mid-period, what material are the fittings made of? Could that be both plated or solid nickel-silver?

Best regards,
Karin-Renate

[Skipper Greenwade]

The only Party-Form dagger(s) I've personally encountered with aluminum crossguards that I thought were original have been NPEA daggers.

That's not to sya that ol' Klaus didn't pull a pair of aluminum crossguards out of the parts bin and slap them on an SA dagger after a weekend at the Oktoberfest, but I think such a dagger would be a hard sell.

My two cents',

Skip

[777]

2 0ut of 3 RZM 7/19 1938 daggers I've owned were equipped with aluminium crossguards. Daggers came from different sources, no doubts about originality.
Scabbard fittings were made of nickle plated steel.

[777]

mm

[Krullies]

Hey! Hi Skip :-)

Hi Skip

I totally missed your reply, thinking no one out there bothered or knew

Thanks for the info Skip I think it is safe to say that mid-period cutters never sported aluminum guards.

Love,
Karin-Renate

The only Party-Form dagger(s) I've personally encountered with aluminum crossguards that I thought were original have been NPEA daggers.

That's not to sya that ol' Klaus didn't pull a pair of aluminum crossguards out of the parts bin and slap them on an SA dagger after a weekend at the Oktoberfest, but I think such a dagger would be a hard sell.

My two cents',

Skip

[Krullies]

Wow ...

Hi 777!

The author of THE book himself If that is not a reliable source, nothing is That is a very nice dagger! Thank you for sharing these pictures.

I never (knowingly) saw quality images of an aluminum-equipped dagger before It looks fabulous!

Often, the bubbling and or pitting on plated guards distract a bit from the smooth, dare I say (being female and all) almost sexy lines of daggers. Plated metal shines more, but these aluminum guards have their merit as well I see! Two out of three you say?! I do need to look closer at images ...

Wow ...

Very best regards,
Karin-Renate

2 0ut of 3 RZM 7/19 1938 daggers I've owned were equipped with aluminium crossguards. Daggers came from different sources, no doubts about originality.
Scabbard fittings were made of nickle plated steel.

[777]

I must disappoint you, Karin-Renate, I'm not the author (I wish I were...), I'm just producer of English edition. Anyway being passionate collector dedicated to SA daggers (and other "Holbeins") I know this stuff pretty well and I'm sure both daggers mentioned by me were 100% original.
Cheers

[Krullies]

:-)

I must disappoint you, Karin-Renate, I'm not the author (I wish I were...), I'm just producer of English edition. ...

Now you're being too modest Really. In order to produce a work such as this, even though it is a translation job, you do need to know the subject of the work you're producing, as you, being the producer, totally backs up the message produced Furthermore, you need to make sure that the translation does not alter what is being said in the original work one bit. So there's pitfalls to avoid, writers to keep happy, reputations to guard, and facts to know from experience and handling daggers. And this is only touching the surface of things that are involved, I'm sure.

I'm a bookworm. Books are my main source of information. Skipper Greenwade and Thomas Johnson (who "my" library finally has gotten some books from after months and months of annoying them with questions and pleading) are my heroes. They share so many knowledge you can almost touch these unreachable (to budgetarians like me) daggers in your mind. By the looks of it this book you produced will be an evergreen to collectors and interested people.

So, sir producer, I take off my virtual hat and bow humbly in your general direction And also towards your most beautiful daggers shown below

If I may ask off topic; will the english version sell out as quickly as the german version?

Very best regards, and sincere respect for both you and the writer, plus all people involved in realizing this book,
Karin-Renate

[Francisque]

Nice SA dagger.......but nice girl on the photo too

[777]

If I may ask off topic; will the english version sell out as quickly as the german version?

Good question, but hard to answer. Time will tell.

[ivbaust]

Good question, but hard to answer. Time will tell.

Depends on how much english books were printed ... the less the sooner

[Ron Weinand]

M7/19

I, too, have encountered original M7/19 produced SAs with Aluminum crossguards. This is the only manufacturer that I have found with this set up.
Ron Weinand

[Skipper Greenwade]

Given the number of SA's that Ron has turned up over the years, I would certainly defer to his judgement...looks lke the aluminum crossguards are okay on M7/19 SA's.

Back to Karin-Renate's question, though - what about Eickhorn (M7/66)?

Best,
Skip

[tgn]

I, too, have encountered original M7/19 produced SAs with Aluminum crossguards. This is the only manufacturer that I have found with this set up.
Ron Weinand

Me too, picked up a minty one from a walk-in at my former store. It was so interesting that I kept it.

Tom

[Krullies]

Images

Hello all!

It sure took long enough, but I managed to get a few images of the aluminum parts in question. If these are indeed only found on M7/19 daggers, then the EW on one of the guards could be correct. Too bad these initials are missing on the lower guard though.









I had to resort to an image hoster, as my Wehrmacht Awards albums are full. I asked for images of the parts on the dagger in question. I'm still waiting for these and will post them when I get them.

I'm not sure of the pommel nut. It seems to have concentric circles on top? This might be correct, given the diminished quality of the finish. Still, these being aluminum, are there any red flags to discover?

Very best regards,
Karin-Renate