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

A German military dress sabre - also known as lion's head sabre owing to the particular shape of its pommel.

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.

Although this beautiful, good value sword is not a one-to-one replica of an original historical piece, it is based on the design of the ceremonial sabres the German officers used to wear with their dress uniforms in WW2.

The slender, slightly curved EN45 spring steel blade is unsharpened and features an approx. 54 cm long fuller. The blunt edge is about 1 mm 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.

Details:
- Material: EN45 spring steel (high carbon steel, not stainless), brass hilt with wire-bound wood and leather handle
- Overall length: approx. 94.5 cm
- Blade length: approx. 81 cm
- Max. blade width: approx. 2.2 cm
- Blade thickness: approx. 4 mm
- Cutting edge: approx. 1 mm
- Hilt length: approx. 13 cm (grip approx. 8 cm)
- 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.