M36 B1 Chained SS Dagger by Richard Herder

Early production M36 chained SS dagger. The blade is maker marked by Richard Herder. M36 SS daggers have only been produced without a maker’s mark, so this one having a maker’s mark shows that this is a transformed M33 dagger, where the SS member became officer and changed his M33 scabbard for a M36 one. The fitting between the scabbard and the dagger is fantastic, and the patina is also nicely matching. The dagger has nickel silver cross guards, the bottom one stamped with the roman number 2. The black wooden grip has a nickel silver grip eagle and SS roundel, with most of the black enamel still inside. There are two chips in the grip on the top, front and back. The steel blade is in great condition showing cross grain on both sides. The frontside of the blade is etched with the SS motto “Meine Ehre heist Treue”. The backside of the blade is etched with the makers mark “Rich. Abr. Herder Solingen”. I would call the condition of this blade “Mint”. The M36 scabbard has its original black paint and is fitted with nickel silver scabbard fittings and chain. All five screws are in place. The chain is type “B1”, nickel silver with no septum in the skulls. One link is stamped on the backside with the SS stamp. The snap clip is in working order. These early M36 SS daggers are hard to find!