SA High Leader Dagger by Eickhorn

Here’s a rare gem, straight from the nephew of the veteran who liberated it during WW2. An early Eickhorn SA High Leader Dagger, which has been lying untouched since the war. We don’t come across these undisturbed pieces often, and even less often in such amazing condition.

We see the correct Eickhorn grip, with silver eagle and barely a blemish to note. No cracks or chips whatsoever. The SA roundel enamel is 100%, with a very nice hint of green verdigris in the 2 o-clock area from age. The silver plated hand chased upper and lower guards are absolutely exquisite! The detail is as good as it gets, with an amazing dark patina in the recessed areas. The pommel nut and top of the upper guard show no signs whatsoever of tampering. There are absolutely no “swirl” marks that we see too often with daggers, indicating that the nut was carelessly removed. The silver eagle is exceptional, with almost no loss of detail. A real nice bird!

The blade is in amazing condition, with the strong maiden-hair Damascus pattern we expect to see with these SA High Leader Honor Dagger blades. There is some oxidation spotting on the blade’s surface (which is typical), mostly around the raised gilded lettering, but otherwise this blade can be considered in near mint condition as far as these daggers are concerned. The gilding is about 70%, with much of the wear along the blade crease from repeated removal and insertion into and out of the scabbard. The early small oval Eickhorn maker mark can be found on the reverse, which is correct for an early M33 model dagger such as this.

The scabbard leather has been replaced with period correct leather, and reapplied to exact specifications of the period by a well-known Third Reich dagger craftsman who can be contacted for verification upon commitment to purchase. This is very common with these High Leader Daggers, and many such daggers in private collections today have undergone the same leather restoration process. The scabbard in dent-free. The silver fittings are in near perfect condition, with a deep dark patina consistent with the guards and chain. The tip ball is perfect as well, with no notable dings or impact dents.

The silver plated chain is complete and untouched, with 7 lower links and 5 upper links, each with a raised Swastika. The individual rectangular links are connected using two oblong (not perfectly round) links as is expected. Joining the two arms of the chain hanger together at the apex is a large silver plated snap hook fastener with a large SA logo embossed onto the front. The snap hook still functions perfectly, with a nice firm tension spring holding the hook closed. The plating of the links does show some wear, even to the base metal in some areas, but still covers over 90% of the surface, with a deep patina to match the other silver plated and solid silver parts of the dagger and scabbard.

I don’t have to tell you how few of these daggers are out there, how rare they are, or how infrequently they come up for sale since most known examples are in private collections. Don’t miss this opportunity to own one of the nicest examples of a Chained SA High Leader Dagger currently on the market.