Sword 20 (187) The Trade Mark on the blade of this sword is a Knight's Helm over WKC.
a. Hilt. Cast brass with backstrap attached using a pair of brass rivets. The grip is of wood with a plastic covering and a brass wire wrap.
b. Obverse Langet. Political style eagle superimosed over foliage emblems and facing to its right.
c. Reverse langet. Plain shield surmounted by foliage.
d. Pommel. Dove head pattered with foliage.
e. Blade. Plain plated steel with single fullers.
f. Scabbard. Standard black steel with single ring suspension fitting and a suspension loop to the reverse side of the scabbard.
g. Rarety. Quite common.
Sword 21 (170) The Trade Mark on the blade of this sword is a Knight's Helm over WKC on the obverse side of blade rather than the more usual reverse. Although a quite rare pattern sword, this is not a style that am fond of and I suspect was not particularly popular??
a. Hilt. Cast brass with backstrap attached using a pair of brass rivets. The grip is of wood with a plastic covering and a brass wire wrap.The guard is unusual in that it is "flatened" with the detailing on either side edge and not on the leading edge as in conventional styled swords.
b. Obverse Langet. Military style eagle within a plain outline border and facing to its right.
c. Reverse langet. Plain shield within a plain outline border.
d. Pommel. Dove head pattered with foliage.
e. Blade. Plain plated steel with single fullers.
f. Scabbard. Standard black steel with single ring suspension fitting and a suspension loop to the reverse side of the scabbard.
g. Rarety. Quite rare.
Hi Again, Just in case of any confusion with sword hilt assembly I am including a few happy snaps to illustrate the principal differences encountered on German army sabres for reference.
1. As can be seen in the two swords below, the rivetted construction requires larger back strap "flaps" extending over the sides of the grip to accommodate the rivets. Some swords have mock rivets but actual rivets are easy to spot and test. I use a finger nail and if it is a rivet per see, you will get the nail under the edge of the rivet.
2. Subsequent to the removal of the rivets, tha back strap can be moved in a vertical direction to dislocate the retaining tongue at the base of the strap. As can be seen in the following shots, once the back strap has been removed this gives access to the actual grip. This makes the replacement of the grip wrap wire relatvely simple and should it be necessary to remove the complete hilt assembly from the blade, it also gives access to the tang head which is peened over the guard upper tongue.
With swords that have the blade tang attached directly to the back strap, there is little or no need for the "flaps" other than for aethetic reasons. There are two basic methods of attaching the back strap to the blade tang. the most bisic is to drill a hole in the pommel, insert the tang through the hole, cut it to the required length then peen the end until secure and then smooth it off. Usually found on better quality swords, the second method is a bit more involved. This requires a brass headless rivet to be attached to the end of the tang prior to assembly. The brass tip rather than the tang itself is then inserted through the pommel and peened over. On cat head swords, the usual practice is to then file the rivet in such a way as to disguise it as part of the cat's mane. Unfortunately, these types of assembly do not lend themselves to hilt repair as the whole hilt has to be removed.
The first picture is of a simulated rivet head added as part of the design of the back strap.
The third is of a lion head back strap held by a brass headless rivet. This is the style favoured on both TR and Imperial naval swords.
the second is of lion head with the tang peened directly over the pommel.
Hi, Still with the swords of WKC and of the TR, the next three are the last from this particular manufacturer for the time being.
Hope that they are of interest to you.
Regards and best wishes Michael R
Sword 22 (153) This is a standard early type Air Force sword with with heavy nickel plated fitments. It has no arsenal nor ownership markings and a plain plated single fuller blade. The Trade Mark is a Knight'd Helm over WKC.
Sword 23 (189) The Trade Mark on the blade of this sword is a King's Head in cojunction witha Knight's Helmet over WKC on the obverse side of blade rather than the more usual reverse. Although a quite common pattern sword, it has a very elegant blade with fine etching. Contrary to what it says in the introduction paragraph, this pre TR period!!
a. Hilt. Cast brass with backstrap attached using a pair of brass rivets. The grip is of wood with a shagreen covering and a brass wire wrap.
b. Obverse Langet. Plain.
c. Reverse langet. Plain.
d. Pommel. Plain dove head.
e. Blade. Polished steel with single fullers and unatributed etching.
f. Scabbard. Standard black steel with single ring suspension fitting and a suspension loop to the reverse side of the scabbard.
g. Rarety. Quite rare with an etched blade.
Sword 24 (188) The Trade Mark on the blade of this sword is a Knight's Helmet over WKC on the obverse side of blade rather than the more usual reverse. Unlike the vast majority of TR Army swords, this particular pattern bears niether a National emblem nor an arm of service device ergo, it may be a Weimar period item??
a. Hilt. Cast brass with backstrap attached using a pair of brass rivets. The grip is of wood with a plastic covering and a brass wire wrap. The leather attachment between the ferrule and the upper surface of the cross guard is what remains of the fore finger loop. The loop was designed in order to render the sword more manageable when carried out of its scabbard. When damaged like this, the broken ends are cut away leaving only what appears to be a double washer. I have heard of these parts being referred to as "spacers" for loose hilts which they are not.
b. Obverse Langet. A vertical wreath of laurel signifying victory within an outlined shield.
c. Reverse langet. A stylised shield encompassed within a laurel wreath. The whole within an outlined shield..
d. Pommel. Dove head in the form of an elongated oval button.
e. Blade. Plated steel with single fullers.
f. Scabbard. Standard black steel with single ring suspension fitting and a suspension loop to the reverse side of the scabbard.
g. Rarety. Quite scarce.
Hi, A minor change in direction, moving from WKC swords to another renouned manufacturur, Carl Eickhorne. Thid batch comprises German Army swords both of pre and post 1933 production. I hope that you find them of interest.
Regards Michael Ryan
Sword 25 (157) The trade mark on the blade of this swordi is a pair of conjoined squirrels over the initials "CE". This sword has the weight, balance, look and general feel of a fighting rather than a dress weapon.
a. Hilt. Cast in steel with no evidence of gilding and the backstrap attached directly to the blade tang. The grip is of wood with black plastic covering and a steel wire wrap.
b. Obverse Langet. Crossed connon within a stylised floral wreath on a plain outlined shield.
c. Reverse langet. Plain.
d. Pommel. Lion head.
e. Blade. Plain, plated with single full size fullers.
f. Scabbard. Standard natural steel scabbard with a single brass ring suspension fitting and loop to the reverse side of the scabbard. There is evidence that this scabbard has been painted black but not professionally. I would suggest by the original owner for field use?
g. Rarety. Quite scarce.
Last edited by Michael Ryan; 09-05-2014 at 03:02 PM.
Sword 26 (190) The trade mark on the blade of this swordi is a single squirrel holding a sword over "Eickhorn Solingen".
a. Hilt. Gilded cast alloy with riveted backstrap. The grip is of wood with black plastic covering and a silver alloy wire wrap.
b. Obverse Langet. Crossed sabres superimposed over a wreath of oak on a plain outlined shield.
c. Reverse langet. Vertical oval escutchion on a plain outlined shield.
d. Pommel. Patterned dove head incorporating a wreath of oak encompassing a Wehrmacht Adler (Military National Eagle).
e. Blade. Plain, polished steel with single full size fullers.
f. Scabbard. Standard black steel scabbard with a single ring suspension fitting and loop to the reverse side of the scabbard.
g. Rarety. Rare.
Sword 27 (136) The trade mark on the blade of this sword is a pair of conjoined squirrels over the initials "CE". This sword has the weight, balance, look and general feel of a fighting rather than a dress weapon.
a. Hilt. Nickel plated steel with mock riveted backstrap. The backstrap is attached directly to the tang of the blade. The grip is of wood with black plastic covering and a brass wire wrap.
b. Obverse Langet. Plain.
c. Reverse langet. Plain.
d. Pommel. Pain dove head.
e. Blade. Etched and attributable to "Feldart. Regt. No59". Plated steel with single full size fullers.
f. Scabbard. Standard black steel scabbard with a fixed single ring suspension fitting and loop to the reverse side of the scabbard.
g. Rarety. Quite scarce.
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