Measuring 13 5/8 inches overall, the 8 5/8 inch blade is etched "Meine Ehre heisst Treue" (Loyalty Is My Honor) on the obverse and the Herder maker mark on the reverse. Extensive grinding has been performed on the reverse, starting just behind the tip and partially impacting the maker's mark. While not documented, this sort of grinding is suggestive of a removed Rohm honor inscription. The big man in the Brownshirts before he got whacked in the Night of the Long Knives, Ernst Rohm outlived his usefulness once Hitler came to power, but there was a brief window where he was authorized to give inscribed honor daggers to members of the Sturmabteilung, which then included the SS. When Rohm got purged, anyone who didn't get purged right alongside him who had a Rohm dagger was ordered to either discard the dagger or destroy the inscription; most SS men followed this order, leaving very few SS daggers with intact Rohm inscriptions. Nickel guard with "I" on the reverse and standard inlays on the black hardwood grip. With a black enamel finished, nickel fitted sheath.

Very good. Aside from the grinding, the blade is bright with mild sheath wear and minor spotting. Some verdigris buildup is visible where the fittings meet the grip, which shows some scuffs and dings. The sheath retains about 20% of the original black enamel finish, the remainder having worn down to brown patinated steel, with some dents and verdigris.