Romanian Sword

[David Lambert]

hello

i put my hand up and say i know nothing about swords except i own one left to me by my father. I have attempted to research into it but am a little stunned by just how large and involved subject swords and their histories is. So i have come to a font of knowledge to ask for assistance. I am learning fast and I have got as far as a Carl elckhorn - soligen made eagle head sword issued to the Romanian army but that is it.



It weighs 1.5 pounds. It is 36.5 inches long in total (blade 31 inches) with an eagles head on the pommel that has ruby (?) red eyes. It is quite ornate with etching for 13 inches down both sides of the blade and false edge. It is heavily embelished with oak leaves with acorns down the knuckle brow, ferrule and on the finial. Other markings that i think my help is the name toledo on the blade and the number 34 stamped on the interior of the knuckle bow, tang and backstrap once disassembled. Beneath the langet on the blade there is the makers mark. A squirel with the initials C E. it says 'carl elckhorn * solingen *' around the edge.



There is a shield/crest on the langet and half way down the blade and i am guessing that these would provide more clues. they have been hard to photograph and have used a microscope at 10x to show detail. both have a crown above them.



The langet crest shows (top left) 3 creatures on their hind legs or birds. (top right) a cow/bull with something between its horns and a crescent to the left of its mouth. (bottom left) is a lion pointing or holding something, sat on a bridge with 2 arches and water beneath. (bottom right) an eagle with 7 rectangles beneath. Centre bottom has two fish dancing on their heads and smack in the middle is a shield. After research I now know this is a romanian crest, can you tell me anything more about it? Its name or date for example? What it stands for? anything

EDIT.. I have found out more about the crest here. Sorry if my ignorance offended anyone. /EDIT



The crest on the blade appears to be topped by a crowded eagle (or is it a dove?)holding a cross in its beak, with a slightly different depiction of the langet crest boardered by its wings. As it spans the fuller, clear photography of it was hard.

more pictures

Id just like to know some of its history, like what part of the Romanian army it came from - does this sword have a name or type - who was it issued to - what rank - what division - or any other information you may be able to pass on to me about it.

Id also be grateful for any corrections in my interpretations of what is in the crests.

can i thank you now for your time and sharing your knowledge.

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[David Lambert]

i know i may have sounded like a knowledgeable swordie using all the correct names (hopefully!) for the various parts but i got the info from here

[David Lambert]

my research is evolving....



i believe is the emblem of

REGIMENT FERDINAND I -ARTILLERY (REG 91) 1930

first image here

am i right? if so do you guys have any further information?

thx

[David Lambert]

ok
my last thing i had left to research is the date.
the Carl Eickhorn stamp dates from 1933-1934 therefore so does the sword.

I would love to get some information on the Ferdinand 1 artillery, what they did, where they fought etc.. and would dearly love to see any pictures of them - if u can help that would be great

hope u find this Romanian sword interesting

ta-ta

david

[Victor]

The information and the pictures are very interesting.

The crest had five sections, each for a Romanian historical province:
Top left: the eagle with swords and cross, the emblem of Wallachia
Top right: the bull (actually it was a wild bull, which is almost extinct today) head, with the sun between the horns, the emblem of Moldavia
Middle left: the lion on the bridge, the emblem of Crisana
Middle right: the eagle and the seven towers/cities, the emblem of Transylvania (in German Siebenburgen – 7 cities)
Bottom: two dolphins, the emblem of Dobruja
It was adopted after the Union of 1918. Before that it comprised of only the top half.

The swords were used only in a ceremonial role, at parades etc. They were issued to mainly to the officers. There are no recorded actions on the battlefield of the Romanian army involving swords.

[David Lambert]

well the thing is........

my modern history is a little thin and i am uncomfortable taking about things i do not understand nor hold knowledge off, particulary here, in a forum that, well, let us be honest, holds more concentrated knowledge of the Romanian army during WWII than i can find eslewhere on the web (atleast in English!).

my father was a wwII vet and this sword came into his possession as an act of surrender ~ it was not a battle and he was always keen to stress that ~ but a simple hand over of men ~ maybe when alliegances where changed towards the end(?). When or where i do not know and, as he is long since gone, i can no longer check-back. He was active through-out the war in various parts of western europe (particulary Italy and France and, later, the push to Berlin).

Anyway that is the (rather meager) story of how a Romanian Ferdinand I Artillery Regiment Sword has ended up in the UK.

Maybe he won it playing cards on the boat back home ~ i guess we will never know.

Whatever the truth ~ I promise to look after it.

David

[Geto-Dacul]

Very nice and scarce sword! The value of it could be of more than 500$! I also have 2 nice Romanian parade swords ; one marine sword with the Ferdinand cipher (very rare), and another of the Romanian airforce with the Carol II cipher in excellent shape. Both Eickorn-Solingen.

Best regards,

Getu'

[Carol I]

Hello David Lambert!

Probably you would like to take a look at this auction:

ORIGINAL EICKHORN CATALOG FOR ROMANIA - 1931

Carol I