Prussian Sabre M1898 with Coat of Arms?

[Adravor]

I´ve come across this Prussian sabre.

A bit of research showed me a complete Variant with scabbard is arround 400 Euros, and the seller asks for this rather damaged piece arround 300.
I would just pass on it, as i would normally pay not more then 100-150 for a piece in this condition, but the Sabre seams to have an Coat of Arms engraved that i know.
Its seems to be the Coat of Arms of Hanstein, an Thüringisch Nobel family, which had a few members who served in the Prussian millitary.

So, would the Price be good if we consider that its an unique and one of a kind example?
Any Opinion and Help would be appreciated!


Here the Coat of Arms of Hanstein (Older Version with a different Helmet)


Here the Sabre: (Ignore the Bayonets, it seems the Seller has found the pice on his grandparents attic together with these.)

[Frogprince]

The sword is (as you know) a Prussian Infanterieoffizierdegen M1889. I'm assuming that the brass hilt has turned black which makes it probably earlier instead of a later wartime example. And Germany in general harder to research families and crests than for example England. That said, once you've settled on a name there are period lists of officers that could help you in your search for information. Engraving like this fairly low on the cost to the officer side, a number of higher cost (and better quality) options were available to those who could afford them. Best Regards, Fred

[Anderson]

Certainty appears to be family heraldic arms on the pommel, but the condition is poor and I can't think that the addition of the arms raises it's value to the level asked.

[Adravor]

Thank you very much for you Opinions! It may be overpriced, but as a child i loved the Castel the family it belongs to has its origins in, so i´m gonna buy it anyways as its a special piece of History for me.

[Frogprince]

Thank you very much for you Opinions! It may be overpriced, but as a child i loved the Castel the family it belongs to has its origins in, so i´m gonna buy it anyways as its a special piece of History for me.

I can understand the feeling as sometimes you might find something that might not always be in the condition you like - but you still have to have it. Best Regards, Fred

[rbminis]

IMO, a different coat of arms.
The shield shape is different, the details to the sides of the shield, there are no crescents near the top, etc.
Ralph.

[Adravor]

Yes, they are different, but the Version i used as example is the Version from arround 1300, the crest evolved over time.
The many points, the Crest itself with its 3 Half Moons, the helmet cover seem to be identical for me, and they are what matters most.

[Adravor]

I´ve aquired the sabre, and it arrived today. The condition is really bad, and i´m absolutely sure i overpaid. But i´m still glad i got it, as i´m now completly certain its the crest i thought it was, it also seems as if the crest might be engraved into a stone, rather then bronze, it could be the stone of an old sigil ring.

The Grip was loose and i opend it, to examine in what shape the remaning parts are. I´ve found that under the brass parts of the grip where still remains of the original cover, which seems to have consisted of some kind of scale with strings wrapped arround, the blade is even more damaged then i thought, and i´m considering to remove the rust chemically. Do you think that would be a good idea? And what chemicals would you recommend to remove the rust without damaging the blade further?

Regards Adravor

[Adravor]

I´ve just found what grip it supposedly had:


(The Picture was not able to download in high reslolution so here the source link: Degen fur Offiziere der Garde-Infanterie (IOD) M1889 – Alcoso Solingen)

The texture of the grip is the exact same one as the one on my example,
the example above was a Garde Variant, so maybe the owner bought this type of grip as a special variant?

[rbminis]

This is likely what it would have looked like.
The handle covering is ray skin, (similar to what the Japanese swords utilize).
Ralph.