The “Sturmabteilung” (SA), formed in 1921, was the original paramilitary branch of the NSDAP. Composed of Great War veterans and Freikorps members, the “brown shirts” of the SA were the brawling party thugs of the Nazi Party, frequently clashing with Communists in the streets during the hectic years of Weimar Germany. With the Nazis gaining power in 1933, a dress dagger heavily steeped in Ancient Roman design was introduced for SA members to wear with their iconic “brown shirt” uniform. The SA was a massive organization, with an eventual strength of close to 3 million men, and the demand for those daggers was equally intense. They were produced by 123 different makers, from the finest cutlers of Solingen to small, cottage-industry workshops. Those SA daggers produced before 1935 were marked with the maker’s name, while those afterward were marked with “RZM” maker’s codes to obfuscate the manufacturer and their location. This German WW2 F. Herder Early Pre-RZM SA Dress Dagger is in Very Good Condition, with some light rounding to the blade tip, some light sharpening to the blade edges, some scratching, scabbard wear, and pitting at each side of the blade, some light scratching to the guard and pommel, some light nicking and scratching to the handle, a very small hairline surface crack running between the pommel and SA roundel in the lower left side of the handle, and with some light overall age wear evident. Most interestingly, it features an 8 5/8” bright double edge dagger blade with the classic SA motto “Alles für Deutschland” (translating to “All for Germany”) etched along the left side, boasts the classic early nickel silver guard, pommel, and pommel nut, the first of which is stamped “Om” for SA-Gruppe Ostmark, and is etched at the reverse ricasso with the “crossed keys” logo of its maker, the famous “F. HERDER A.S. / SOLINGEN”. The presence of the maker’s name and lack of an RZM mark denotes manufacture from ca. 1933-1935. It sports an elegant dark walnut handle with the traditional German national eagle inset in inverted fashion at the middle left side and the familiar SA enameled roundel inset in inverted fashion at the lower left side, and is complete with the original German WW2 SA Early Brown Anodized Steel Scabbard in Very Good Condition, with heavy denting to the “ball” portion of the end tip, some light spot denting at the front and back end tip, some scratching, finish abrading, pitting, and spot patina to the body, and with some scattered age wear evident. Most interestingly, it retains approximately 80% of the original brown anodized finish on the body, exhibits the original nickel silver throat and end tip, the former with a hanging ring at the left side, and the set is a fine example of a rare, original German WW2 F. Herder Early Pre-RZM SA Dress Dagger.