Germany, Weimar Republic. A Hunting/Forestry Association Cutlass, by E. & F. Hörster

(Hirschfänger). A striking and extremely well-preserved Hunting/Forestry Association cutlass, measuring 51 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 32.5 cm-long, nickel-plated, magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and lower edge. The blade features double-sided, acid-etched imagery executed in exceptional detail, with the obverse bearing a hunting scene consisting of a boar being chased by a hunter and pack of hounds, while the reverse shows a hunter taking aim at a pair of deer. The reverse ricasso is maker marked with the logo of E. & F. Hörster, Solingen, circumscribing the firm’s classic monogram logo. The blade sits securely within a gilded bronze crossguard consisting of a pair of mirrored deer hooves, with the obverse featuring a clamshell medallion. The handle grip is composed of a single piece of curved and polished staghorn. Inset into the obverse of the handle are three bronze acorns, all situated within dual oak leaves. It completes with a pommel bearing a nut in the form of an acorn, screwing in to maintain the cutlass’ structural integrity. It is accompanied by its original scabbard, constructed of a boiled and blackened leather shaft. Gilded bronze fixtures are secured to both the tip and throat, with the latter featuring a downward-pointing hook in the form of a stylized acorn for the accommodation of a frog. The throat retains a functional spring catch to firmly hold the cutlass in place during storage. Minor issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include some running marks to the blade, loosening of the structure of the hilt, and some fatigue of the scabbard. It remains in an overall better than very fine condition.