German Officer's Lion's Head Sabre with Steel Scabbard

German Officer's Lion's Head Sabre with Steel Scabbard

Lion-headed military sabres were usually part of the attire of Prussian and German officers. They existed in many variations and were still worn by the higher ranks of the German army in both World Wars.

The slender, slightly curved EN45 spring steel blade is unsharpened and features an approx. 54cm long fuller. The blunt edge is about 1mm thick and the blade's full tang is screwed to the pommel.

The hilt is composed of a grip with pommel cap and a combined crossguard and knuckle-bow. The pommel is in the shape of a lion's head with two enchased ruby-coloured eyes, and the backstrap as well as the hilt's collar feature intricate floral designs. The artfully adorned stirrup-shaped knuckle-bow issuing from the lion's mouth flows seamlessly into an equally ornate quillon with rounded, elaborately decorated langets and a down-curving lion's head-shaped terminal. The grip's core is made of wood and wrapped in leather and brass wire. The bow, the lionshead-shaped cap with backstrap, the collar and the guard with langets are all crafted from brass.

The military dress sword is delivered with a matching nickel-plated steel scabbard with two carrying bands, articulated suspension rings and a metal shoe.

This German sabre with lion's head pommel is not a battle ready weapon but a very decorative collector's piece. And besides its quality as a collectible, it is also perfectly suited as a prop, i.a. for theatre performances.

Specifications:

• Material: EN45 spring steel (high carbon steel, not stainless), brass hilt with wire-bound wood and leather handle
• Overall length: approx. 94.5cm
• Blade length: approx. 81cm
• Max. blade width: approx. 2.2cm
• Blade thickness: approx. 4mm
• Cutting edge: approx. 1mm
• Hilt length: approx. 13cm (grip approx. 8cm)
• Incl. metal scabbard with carrying rings
• Weight without scabbard: approx. 700 g
• Weight with scabbard: approx. 1 kg

Specs may slightly vary from piece to piece.

The steel used here is not rust-proof and might show slight surface tarnishing in places. We recommend you to maintain the blade and the scabbard on a regular basis, for example using Ballistol Universal Oil, which is ideally suited for steel care.