Original Item: Only One Available. This is a beautiful classic Lionhead German WWI Artillery Officer's sword, with a great nickel plated "triple etched" blade! The all brass alloy hilt consists of a finely detailed lion head cat with floral backstrap and "P" guard. The Lion is fitted with blood red faceted "jewel" eyes, both of which are still present and clear. Nice detail throughout his whiskers, chin, muzzle, and especially the Lion's Mane. The handwork is beautifully rendered throughout this brass. The "P" guard exterior shows the classic German "Oak leaves and Acorns" motif, while the grip ferrule shows a vine motif.

The crossguard has plain shields on each chappe, which are arrayed in Oak leaves, with a pebbled background, with lots of hand enhanced details. It is marked on the top with GESETZLICH GESCHÜTZT (Protected by law), indicating that it is a trademarked design. The brass alloy hilt has lost almost all the original gilded finish, now faded to a lovely mustard patina. This was most likely mercury gilding, which unfortunately "evaporates" over time. You can also see traces of the gilding at the base of the blade by the crossguard, and under the Chappe on each side.

The scabbard still has good original factory black lacquer and is mostly retained. There are are some areas of rust, and it looks to have been repainted at some point long ago. There are only a few small dents in the steel however, and the shape is almost perfectly straight. Unlike most scabbards we see, it has a brass hanger rings and fittings.

The grip is a very nice shark skin shagreen over a wood base. It is wrapped with three strands of twisted brass wire, with the central strand being much thicker than the outer two. There is some looseness in the wrappings, probably from the wood and sharkskin shrinking a bit. The original leather blade buffer is still present, though it is definitely worn. The hilt is still tight to the blade, with no wobble.

There is a very nice leather and bullion "Troddel" knot attached to the grip of the sword, in the typical Imperial German style. These were used to identify the rank of a soldier, as well as what regiment they were in. This troddel has a black leather strap with triple rows of silver wire. The knot at the end is gold bullion, with a blue wire insert.

The 32 ¼ inch blade of this sword is in excellent condition for being 100 years old. It has excellent factory triple etching and is also nickel plated. There is no denting along the edge, and just a bit of scuffing from the scabbard and cleaning. The plating is almost entirely intact, and the tip is unbent, making this just a great example of a WWI era blade.

The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark Jung Siegfried (Young Siegfried) wielding a hammer logo of legendary maker Pack, Ohliger & Co. GmbH of Solingen, over the firms initials of P.O. & Co.. Unfortunately this marking is entirely obscured by the chappe, so photography is impossible. Founded in 1910 by Friedrich Pack and Robert Ohliger, this company functioned as a Waffen- und Stahwahrenfabrik (Weapon and Steelware Factory), and produced bayonets and swords for Imperial Germany. In 1922, Robert Ohliger left, leaving Friedrich's son Ernst and his own sons to continue the business as Ernst Pack & Söhne. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter’s work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS. This maker puts the production period firmly during the WW1 Era.

Overall a great high quality rare sword from a somewhat rare German sword maker, based in Solingen, the "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Ready to hang on the wall!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 32 1/4"
Overall length: 37 1/2”
Crossguard: 4”
Handguard length: 4 ½”
Scabbard Length: 23 1/4”