Ritterkreuz, PVON,
Thank you for your compliments!
Most of these court swords bear the national emblems of the countries they represent.
Some even tell you for which king or emperor the holder of the sword was working.
Here are 2 examples:
- Completely on the right: the shell of the guard shows the double headed eagle with the shield of Franz-Josef I, the Austrian-Hungarian emperor (1848 until 1916)
- In the middle: the grip plate has inserted the royal monogram of Ludwig I, the king of Bavaria (1825 until 1848)
I believe that the later "diplomat swords" were based on these earlier court swords.
Best regards,
Herman
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