Original Imperial German WWI Kaiserliche Marine Navy Lion Head Sword Hilt Candlesticks - Set of Two

Item DescriptionOriginal Items: One Set of Two Available. This is a really nice set of Imperial German WWI Kaiserliche Marine Style Navy Candlesticks, which look to be made from the hilts of two 'Lion's Head' officer swords. These equally could be from the interwar Reichsmarine or even the early Kriegsmarine, however we did not see any NSDAP symbols on them whatsoever. It would however make sense that old and/or damaged officer swords would be used like this to make some candlesticks. They certainly do look to have a high level of manufacture, and both have shortened steel blades on the top, which attach to the cups that hold the candles. We did notice though that while they have 'clamshell' style guards, they are all one piece, so they cannot fold down. Regardless of whether they were made from swords or not, they are still very impressive display pieces. We have been told that traditionally one stick would hold a green candle, while the other a red one, representing the standard colors for starboard (green) and port (red), and on the officer's table they would be properly oriented with respect to the ship.The candlesticks are made mostly from brass alloy, which looks to have been finished with bronze powder paint, giving them a lovely aged look. Both have the proper wire wrapped white celluloid covered grips, as opposed to the black used by other branches. Each hilt is mounted on a perforated brass base, which has high relief embossed acanthus leaves and other foliate motifs. They are attached to the bottoms using hex bolts, and the bases are still securely attached. The guards on both have a 'fouled anchor' on the 'shell' portion, and feature further foliate designs on the guard bow. The grip back straps are all the 'mane' of the lion's heads, while the grip ferrules display the iconic German 'Oak Leaf and Acorn' motif. Each measures about 11 inches tall, and is 5 1/4 inches across the base.A love display set for any German Maritime collection.Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Payment OptionsEligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle