Eickhorn "Wrangel" pattern sword

[Neil Hever]

Hi folks, This Army sword (without scabbard) came my way today. I have tentatively identified it as a Wrangel pattern after visiting the Wittman site. Overall it is in good condition but has some rusting on the blade that should clean up. Portepee/Knot is original to the blade and in good condition. I have several questions: Is is a Wrangel pattern? What is the value? Can I replace the scabbard with an original or reproduction? Thanks, Neil

[thekees]

Yes, this is a Wrangel, see page 77 of the Angolia book, swords of the third reich. I believe the scabbard is common, but has to be the correct length.

[LMG 1]

The Wrangel is quite a common model from the 'Field marshall series'by Eickhorn,
the sword looks in good condition but the knot is put on wrong.
With regards to a replacement scabbarb i would suggest contacting people like Johnson
who stock parts?
A very nice sword to start collecting heer swords.

[Neil Hever]

Well, as luck would have it there is a dealer with an Eickhorn scabbard! Like the proverbial Cinderella - let's see if the slipper fits. Wish me luck. NH

[Swordfish]

As my peers have stated, indeed the piece is an Eickhorn Nr 1693 pattern "Wrangel" in the field marsh. saber series. The hilt assembly looks good overall. The integrity of the black celluloid covered wooden grip appears free from cracks, chips, etc. Hilt itself is made of brass. Hilt seem to retain a good degree of gold colored factory gilting. Hilt assembly can be cleaned up with a light concoction of homemade sudsy amonia to both remove latent dirt and to brighten up the existing gilting.

Blade appears to have some surface rust. This MUST be dealt with sooner rather than later as it will progress, and the blade will eventually hit the point of no return. Better pics of the entire blade would be better, however based on what I am seeing, you need to use a mildly abrassive cleaner. I would reccommend Semichrome. These blades are nickel plated and are generally vary resiliant. There is no crossgraining to worry about, and will take a pollishing well.

Once the coat of "misty rust" is removed, and any specific pinpoint spots are dealt with, you need to finish the blade with a good coat of museum grade wax- one that contains microcrystalline. The coat of wax will create an impervious barrier between the blade and the environment. It will also aid in stathing off fingerpint acids, which are very damagine to collectibles.

Onto the scabbard. You're going to have a difficult time finding a repacement. I am not aware of anyone who manufactures reproduction Heer saber scabbards. However, you are fortunate in the sense this is an Eichorn- the most commonly encountered saber manufacturer we see. Eickhorn horn made certain standardized sizes of thier sabers. As such, if you piece is a "small" (i'd need to check my literature for the technical data), you'll need to find an Eickhorn saber scabbard in the same size. In that respect you should theoretically be able to find a suitable replacement. What won't work is finding a WKC scabbard, or Alcoso scabbard. Each manufacturer made thier blades with different angles of curve, different guage thickness of the spine, etc. Mixing and matching doesn't typically work. So your quest should be to find an "Eikchorn Army Officer scabbard- size(whatever size your saber is- small, medium, large, etc.).
Hope this helps. I don't want you to be discouraged by the difficulty in obtaining a suitable replacement scabbard. But, this often proves to be the most difficult part of a saber restoration. Collectors have gone 20 years and still have yet to find a scabbard that fits thier piece- something strange like a Clemen and Jung which is not encountered very often. The scabbard throats can be changed out for better fit, but finding the scabbard with the correct angle, etc. proves tricky.

Tom

[LMG 1]

Good luck,hope it fits

[Neil Hever]

Hi folks, An update -some additional photos - opinions? Leather gasket still intact on the sword itself - seems like a nice fit. NH

[LMG 1]

Well done,looks good

[Swordfish]

Neil-
Good job. Nice fit. I'm glad it was an Eickhorn.....if it was a more obscure saber, it would have been hell locating a suitable replacement scabbard.

She looks good. Well done.

T