1889 Model Saber, Damascus with Blue/Gold Paneling
Stunning sword, the likes of which do not find their way onto the public market often. This sword features near mint qualities throughout. Blade is a strong maidenhair pattern, with double blue-gold panels on each side. The presentation panel reads Rabe con Pappenheim S/L (Seinen Lieben) Lyons. This indicates the sword was given by Lyons to Pappenheim. Research reveals the recipient as Friedrich-Carl Rabe von Pappenheim, who was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross. Pappenheim surrendered to the Soviet troops in May 1945. Convicted as a war criminal in the Soviet Union, he was held until 1955 and died in the 1970s! The reverse panel features fully gold-finished leaves on a deep blued panel. Swords of this type were given and issued through the end of WWI, and so this would have been a sword from General von Pappenheim’s early career. Worthy of further research!