Original German WWII Early Luftwaffe Officer Sword by Carl Eickhorn with Scabbard – Nickel Plated Blade Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very good condition early example of a German WWII Luftwaffe Officer’s Sword, made by the legendary Solingen-based firm of Carl Eickhorn. Early examples such as this were fit with silver-plated nickel alloy mountings, which was often then oxide treated to give it a lovely deep blue color. Some would also feature lovely brass “Sunwheel” style Swas (Hook Cross) emblems, but this example has them silver plated as well. Later they would move to the “Air Age” aluminum material, which didn’t develop the lovely patina that this sword has.

The blade of this example measures 26 1/2 inches, and is nickel plated. It looks like it was coated at some point with lacquer or a grease preservative, which has now cured become very hard. This also got on the runners of the scabbard, which has resulted in dirt sticking to them and wearing the blade finish somewhat on the flat areas on both sides. It looks to have worn through the plating in a few places that we can see. We have left this coating intact, as it is part of the history of the blade. The edge is unsharpened and does not have any nicks, and the tip is completely unbent.

The ricasso is etched with the 1935-41 Eickhorn trademark: a seated squirrel holding a sword, with the word ORIGINAL above and Eickhorn / SOLINGEN below. Carl Eickhorn is a legendary maker from Solingen, the famous “City of Blades” in Western Germany.

According to J. Anthony Carter’s book, GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this marking type was specifically used on Luftwaffe and NPEA daggers, as well as the “Feldmarschall” series of swords. The company was founded in 1865 by Carl Eickhorn, and is arguably the most famous of all Solingen makers. Not only could the family trace their history back 500 years, but they could also demonstrate involvement in the hardening and grinding industries for the same period. Truly the nobility of Solingen Edged weapon dynasties. Eickhorn edged weapons are the most desirable of all makers. The leather blade buffer at the top of the cross guard is fully present, and in very good condition.

This early Luftwaffe Sword has very nice silver plated nickel alloy mounts, “Sunwheel” Swas (hook cross) designs on the pommel. They show only light wear, with almost all of the plating still present, and have a lovely patina. The pommel also has very nice rims, with some light edge scratching, and very nice stamping to the oak leaves and acorns which run around the circumference. The crossguards are nice and crisp and they both have good detail to the feathering of the downward pointing quillons, which still have a lot of the plating, though there is some wear through and patination due to use and age.

The grip is a wood based type, with original Moroccan blue leather covering. This leather is in very good condition throughout and still shows all of the leather grain. There is only light wear to the finish, and it still has a lovely color, though unfortunately the wire wrapping looks like it became corroded long ago and fell off.

The scabbard shell is nice and straight, with no denting to the metal body that we can see. The original Moroccan blue leather here is also in very good shape. This leather is all there, and we had to really look to find the seam, so it has not lifted at all. It has just some minor dents a few scrapes through the top finish layer. The scabbard mounts are a fine matching nickel alloy with silver plate. The mounts are in good condition, with fully intact plating with the oxide bluing still present in most areas. The Moroccan leather sword hanger is present, and shows age, with wear to the leather, but is fully intact and has no repairs.

A very nice early Luftwaffe sword from the most famous of all Solingen makers, complete with a nickel-plated blade. Ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 26 1/2″
Blade Style: Double Edge w/ Partial Fuller
Overall length: 33 1/2“
Crossguard: 5″
Scabbard length: 28”