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I recently inherited a sabre and two daggers that we assume belonged to a gg uncle who was born in 1870.

I tried searching images to identify to sabre but became confused as it has a ruby-eyed lion head pommel and a lion head on the quillion that seems typical of German origin, but the langet has a GR cypher, as does the gold-leaf looking decoration on the top of the blade.

Is this a case of “cut and paste” of two different weapons?

Sword hilt with a ruby-eyed lion head pommel and a lion head on the quillion that seems typical of German origin, but the langet has a GR cypher, (click to enlarge)

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    Is the other side identical? Are there any markings on the blade? Any chance of getting a picture of the whole sword?
    – Steve Bird
    Sep 11, 2022 at 19:43
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    I tried to add more than one picture but my tech skills failed me. Let me try again.
    – Nick
    Sep 11, 2022 at 19:49
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    I think this Title is better, but I wish the title were, "Is this a Frankenstein sword?" Good luck.
    – MCW
    Sep 11, 2022 at 20:20
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    It was common in cavalry sabers to recycle blades. For example, the French 1822 cavalry sword was used in Prussia with changed hilts during the Franco-Prussian war. That's because hilts don't need good steel, usually they are made from wood, bronze, iron, etc. Sometimes even the blades were shortened and converted when captured or bought in another country. Sep 11, 2022 at 20:27
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    Interesting. Would it be possible to then identify or date the individual components?
    – Nick
    Sep 11, 2022 at 20:45

1 Answer 1

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Q: Is this a case of “cut and paste” of two different weapons?

No, most probably not.

This does not look like a reassembled, or copy & paste item, but just a straight issue.

Most of the visible details line up nicely, for only one weapon. This would identify this then as a 'Saxon lion's head sabre', dated to 1902–1905.

The crown is Saxon, the coat of arms is Saxon in origin.

This might be an officer's sabre. Going by the initials "GR" (Georgius Rex) this is pointing into a very short time-frame: that of Saxon King George's (reigned only from 1902–1904).

Although Georg's personal monogram would look like this:

enter image description here, which was used with its mirrored G's as well on some items…

The defining hints are the coat of arms, showing horizontal bands (black and yellow) overlayed diagonally with a band showing crowns, representing the Kingdom of Saxony:

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Caveat: there is enormous variation in styles for these bladed weapons over time. Variations of this style apparently even continued into Wehrmacht times…

A similar weapon fron an artillery officer on sale as "Sachsen Artillerie Säbel für Offiziere Damastklinge - sehr selten":

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An example of a matching GR initials on a sabre:

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Sächs. Infanterie-Offizier-Degen M 1867

Datiert 1904. Starres, vergoldetes Messing-Bügelgefäss mit zwei Abnahmemarken auf Stichblatt-Unterseite. Beidseitig scharfe, rhombusförmige Klinge mit drei Zügen. Auf Fehlschärfe aussen eingeätztes Monogramm "GR unter Krone" (König Georg II., 1902 - 04). Innen eingeschlagen der Hersteller "WEYERSBERG KIRSCHBAUM & CO. SOLINGEN" (ab 1883 - heute) sowie "GR unter Krone", Jahreszahl "04" und Abnahmemarke. Blanke Stahlblechscheide mit zwei Ringbändern und beweglichen Trageringen (unterer offiziell entfernt) sowie Einhak-Öse innen. Zahl "11" und Abnahmemarke auf Mundstück-Rand.

Gesamtlänge......................1.055 mm Degenlänge........................1.025 mm Klingenlänge.........................880 mm Klingenbreite (max.).................32 mm

Another sabre in this style, issued under King Friedrich August (FAR):

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As well as one identified as "A lion's head sabre for officers,of the Saxon cavalry"

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Dating this weapon is therefore 1902–1905. 1905, as the "militärfiskalischer Eigentumsstempel" (royal military fiscal property stamp) also only changed in 1905 from GR to his successor FA.

Now compare English royal cyphres:

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with the Saxon Georg's one:

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and the cypher in question:

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An example of matching shoulder boards from Wehrgeschichtliches Museum Rastatt for the 1. Königlich Sächsisches 1. (Leib-) Grenadierregiment No 100, Dresden:

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flickr: chrispaulodale, cropped

A photo of the 100 regiment showing the transition from GR to FAR in 1905:

flickr: gwyliecoyote

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