wardaggers.com - German SA Dagger Reproduction Awareness

GERMAN POST WAR REPRODUCTION DAGGERS - ARMY - LUFT - SA
" Either war is obsolete or men are " R. Buckminster Fuller



	____REPRODUCTION AWARENESS____
Page 1 ARMY REPRODUCTION	Ok, so this one is slightly more obvious from the clear picture which one is the fake, but posted on EBAY with out of focus pictures and a provenance stating how the dagger was used by Hitler himself to carve his black pudding, regularly sell for the price of an original. An immediate flag and one that should be checked on every purchase is the position of the eagle on the grip, originals are nearly always below the widest part and mostly a snug fit, they are held in place by 2 prongs that go through the wood into the cavity for the blade tang. The other flag is the diamond shape portion of the grip, upper and lower, these were hand finished and always a snug fit to the cross-guards, on reproductions this area is nearly always oversized when compared to an original. Also note that the spanner bolt securing the grip was a uniform size across all makers, this reproduction example is a larger cut. Read on!.	Page 3 LUFT REPRODUCTION



	The reproduction dagger also has a leather buffer pad in place to disguise the poor fit to scabbard, this again is never seen on period SA/NSKK daggers. Note also the poorly cast lines cut into the cross-guard, too shallow and off-centre, the outer guard is far too thin and pointed and although it is passable laid flat, a seam mark would suggest 2 piece construction. They have also used flat head screws for securing the scabbard fittings, as far as I am aware these are always round headed.

	The blade tells its own story, by itself with nothing to compare it is passable but on scrutiny the differences are plain to see. The spline or ridge of the blade is noticeably high, the cross-graining far too tight which gives the blade a frosted appearance, it is also worth taking note of the poor fit, grip to cross-guard on this picture compared to the original, and of course the poorly etched RZM.

	SUMMARY : Although an obvious fake to the serious collector all parts and faults should be noted, parts for daggers are also becoming big business and command high prices and could unwittingly end up on period daggers. I have also seen this type of dagger fitted with a period grip which gives the appearance of originality. Out of interest RZM M7/85 is the manufacturing code for Arthur Evertz and the legitimate RZM is E&F Horster.

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