Description
Side-by side King’s Head and Knight’s Helmet above W.K&C. TM. The gilded brass hilt fittings grade EX++ showing very minor surface wear to highlights with muted gold factory gilding remaining in the recesses of the heavily chiseled lion head pommel with red glass eyes, backstrap and knuckle-bow with superbly detailed oak leaves and crossguard with lion head quillon and hand-enhanced stippling. The obverse langet features raised, crossed sabers and lances on a hand-stippled background while the reverse langet features a coat-of-arms shield with helmet and mantel on a hand-stippled background. The sharkskin grip shows wear but no major damage and is complete with triple, twisted, silver wire wrap. Curved, plated, mirror finished, blade grades near MINT showing no surface wear and no lifting, pitting or graying, and is complete with original brown leather buffer pad. Obverse blade features long blued ribbon with three panels etched with gilded letters: “von Dietlein S/l., Frhr von dem Bottlenberg – Schirp, and D.6. Mainz 1908”. Research indicates that the Magdeburgisches Dragoner=Regiment 6 was indeed garrisoned in Mainz in 1908 as this would account for the D.6.Mainz etch on the final section of the ribbon. The 1909 Rank List shows that a v.Dietlein and a Rittmeister Frhr. v. dem Bottlemberg gen. v. Schirp were assigned to the regiment during the same period and this sword appears to be a commissioning gift presented by v. Dietlein to v. Schirp. RThe above attachment came from the 1914-1918 Ehrenrangliste. What I found was the Magdeburgisches Dragoner=Regiment 6, garrisoned in Mainz. This would account for the D.6.Mainz etch on the final section of the ribbon. Now then, I found no less than 3 officers named v.Dietleim; 2 of whom were killed during the war and the third sharing the rank of Rittmeister with Frhr. v. dem Bottlemberg gen. v. Schirp. Von Shirp apparently died a non-combat related death in October 1918 from, what? The influenza pandemic perhaps? While we may never know for sure my best guess would be Heinrich, the fellow captain, was the giver of the piece. Obverse blade features a long etched panel consisting of floral motifs on a blued background. Spine of blade features a raised laurel leaf motif running the length of the etched panels. Both obverse and reverse blade retains 99% of the gilting and the rich cobalt bluing to panels and background. Dent-free steel scabbard with a single suspension band/ring grades EX+ showing very minor age/wear/surface scratches to obverse/reverse shell and drag. EX++.
