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

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice early example of a German WWII Luftwaffe Officer’s Sword by the legendary Solingen-based firm of Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie (WKC) Waffenfabrik. Early examples such as this were fit with silver-plated nickel alloy mountings, with lovely brass “Sunwheel” style Swas (Hook cross) emblems. 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 30 inches, and is in very good condition. It still retains virtually all of the nickel plating, with just a few scuffs. There are some small dents on the edge, but this really is a great looking blade, which is unfortunately difficult to photograph accurately.

The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark “Knight’s Helmet” (Ritter-helm) logo of legendary maker Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie Waffenfabrik of Solingen:

(Knight’s Helmet)
W.K.C.
WAFFENFABRIK
SOLINGEN

This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany – a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ”Kings head” as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums, and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded as W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.

This early Luftwaffe Sword has very nice plated nickel alloy mounts, with brass caps for the Swas designs. They do show some wear to the plating, probably from storage and cleaning, but still have a great look. The pommel has very nice rims, with just some light edge scratching, and very nice stamping to the oak leaves and acorns which run around the circumference. The medallion sun wheels are very good as well, having a great aged brass finish which really sticks out against the silver next to them, though some of the plating is worn through. The lower cross guard sun wheels still have complete silvering between the legs. The cross guards 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.

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 some wear and finish flaking, and the blue color has faded slightly. The original double twisted bullion wire wrapping is intact, with a great dark patina and some of the copper base metal showing.

The scabbard shell is nice and straight, with no denting to the metal body. The original Moroccan blue leather here is also in very good shape. There are no cuts or nips; the only signs of age are a few bruises in the surfaces of the leather, but this is to be expected on any Luftwaffe sword. This leather is all there, but the seam has started to lift. The scabbard mounts are a fine matching nickel alloy with silver plate. The mounts are in good condition, with great patina. The Moroccan leather sword hanger is missing.

A very nice early Luftwaffe sword from a legendary Solingen maker, complete with a nickel-plated blade and scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:

Blade Length: 30″
Blade Style: Double Edge w/ Partial Fuller
Overall length: 37 1/2“
Crossguard: 5 1/4″
Scabbard length: 32”