{"product_id":"imperial-german-miniature-sword-letter-opener-pierced-guard-spiral-grip-7-75in","title":"Imperial German Miniature Sword Letter Opener Pierced Guard Spiral Grip 7.75in","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThis is a miniature sword-form letter opener measuring approximately 7.75 inches (19.7 centimeters) overall, constructed in silver-finished metal with a decorative pierced guard, a ridged spiral grip, and a slender tapering blade. The piece is executed in the manner of the desk accessories and souvenir edged weapons produced for the German officer, collector, and gift market during the Imperial and early Weimar periods, combining elements of the eighteenth-century court sword tradition with the guard profile of the military saber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe guard is the most visually complex element of the piece, formed as a rounded pierced shell or cup with scrolling foliate decoration, circular bosses, and interlocking curved elements worked across its surface in the manner of rococo decorative metalwork. A four-petaled flower motif is visible at the center of one face of the guard. A single downward-curving quillon extends from the base of the guard on one side, and the guard transitions into a knuckle bow on the other, giving the hilt a hybrid profile that combines the aesthetic of the pierced shell guard with the practical form of the cavalry D-guard. The grip is formed as a ridged or ribbed spiral column — imitating the wire-wrapped grips of regulation military sabers — and terminates in a small faceted pommel cap. The blade is a slender, tapering form in polished steel, straight in profile, appropriate to the letter-opening function and referencing the \u003cem\u003eDegen\u003c\/em\u003e or smallsword tradition in its proportions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe silver-finished metalwork throughout shows an even dark oxidation with brighter metal visible at the high relief points of the guard scrollwork and grip ridges, consistent with age and handling without polishing. No maker mark is visible in the provided images.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eMiniature sword-form letter openers of this quality and decorative ambition were produced throughout the German-speaking world as desk accessories, officer's gifts, and collector's pieces from the late nineteenth century through the First World War period. The combination of the pierced decorative guard with military grip styling reflects the dual aesthetic of the Wilhelmine officer class — simultaneously oriented toward the aristocratic traditions of the court sword and the practical identity of the field saber.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49378883928303,"sku":"07-13","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/07-13_6.jpg?v=1777402106","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/imperial-german-miniature-sword-letter-opener-pierced-guard-spiral-grip-7-75in","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}