SMGO-0176 SA Dagger By M7/9 SMF

This is a nice condition later produced dagger with a great blade that rates a 8 out of 10. It has all the typical late period features you would expect, with the exception of solid nickel guards. The guards are not area marked and the lower one has a heavy verdigris and oxidation build up. This is a likely indication that SMF was using up leftover solid nickel parts before turning completely over to the plated type. This would technically make this a transitional dagger. There is a dent on the scabbard ball end but no other dents. The scabbard looks to have been originally made for a NSKK run of daggers as it has a black base paint. Again, keeping with the theme of using excess parts, it was repainted to a brown. It would be foolish for a collector to do this so im confident in saying this is a factory repaint. The plated steel scabbard mounts show some oxidation which is light and almost looks like brown paint. The screws are nice and in unturned condition. There are a few chips in the grip and one on the front under the guard that had me concerned that it would fall off. This led me to take the nut off and look for potential dangers. Under inspection, it appears to be a facture from a drop long ago that is not in danger of getting worse or falling off. When we look closely, we can see evidence of this as the top left of the upper guard has a small ding in it and there is a scrape on the pommel nut. The upper guard also sits just slight cockeyed downward. This is all high detail stuff that the average collector may not even realize, but it’s best to disclose these things before you make the decision to buy. Overall, this is a good example of a transitional piece that will display beautifully, especially if you like a uncleaned example with nickel guards.