SMGL-2352 Early SA dagger by Herm. Konejung AG *SOLD

This maker isn’t as common as some of the bigger firms, but they did make a decent amount of daggers. They only had a contract to supply daggers to Hessen (He). So it goes without saying that an early nickel dagger from this firm should be area stamped “He” as this one is. Condition is good overall as the nickel fittings tend to hold up well. This dagger has a very salty patina that has developed over a period of 80 years. Many collectors like this look as it insure the dagger has not been modified and is easy to tell the parts are all original to this dagger. There is evidence of someone trying to take down the dagger many many years ago with the improper tools, as evident by he scratches near the upper fitting near the pommel and the turn marks on the nut itself. It’s mostly likely it was done by the first GI to encounter the dagger. We see an attempt to sharpen the tip as well, which appears to have been quickly abandoned once the GI saw how much work it would entail. There is a slight ben to the tip, which is a little odd, as it does not appear to have been dropped on the tip. It is possible it the GI (or whomever) was testing the dagger as a pry tool, but there really isn’t any deep gouging or kinks to suggest the blade was badly wrenched on. I didn’t even notice it until a close inspection. The blade itself looks to have been cleaned up a bit, as there is evidence of light oxidation removal. No major pitting though. The grip is crack free and outside of some marks from the hanger, is one of the nicer ones you would hope to see. The eagle is beautifully inlayed. The SA ruin has wear to the enamel but matches the age of the rest of the fittings nicely. The scabbard is the early anodized type and the fitting patina matches the age of the rest of the dagger perfectly. As with most of these daggers, there is a smashed ball end that has never been replaced. It’s missing the lower fitting screw and the rest of the screws doe show evidence of turning, but again, this must have been done super early on by the original owner or first person to claim it as war booty. The scabbard shell is dent free and although it has lost the sheen of the original lacquer, the brown color remains intact and relatively unharmed.

Although we can’t say this dagger has “never been touched”, the fitting are all original and haven’t been cleaned which is really nice to see. If you are looking for a salty dagger with some character, this is a no brainer.