Machete for Infantry Officer. Spanish Army in Cuba. Ca. 1890. Ca. 1890

This extremely beautiful antique machete is a weapon dating from the late 19th century, circa 1890. It's a machete for an infantry officer on the Spanish corps that remained in Cuba during the overseas campaign. This kind of machete is known as non official; only three hundred of official machetes were made and the rest was supplied by German, English and American factories. They were beautiful and were considered high-quality arms. This is the reason why they became very popular among the infantry officers of the Spanish army. This particular model bears an engraved inscription in the blade, just in the ricasso (near the grip). It reads LUCKHAUS & GÜNTHER REMSCHEID and the words are accompanied by a monogram depicting a schematic horse that holds a cross with a flag in its foreleg. We can also see number 509 clearly stamped in the metal. This German brand was one of the various manufacturers that forged these arms during the second half of the 19th century. Among other names we can also highlight Fernando Esser from Elberfeld and Weyerberg from Solingen. The machete we can see in the photographs has a striking grip composed of two bone pieces firmly screwed to the metal. The brass piece covered by the bone parts is crowned by a quite realistic lion head with a hole in its jaws, designed to insert a leather cord. At the bottom we can see the cross-guard, decorated with nice hand-engraved volutes. Last but not least, the original leather scabbard is wonderfully preserved; its surface is decorated with two fringes composed of small and delicate leaves. The locket and the head are made of brass; the former is embellished with a medal containing an engraved face. The decorative beauty and excellent condition that this machete boasts turn it into a collectors piece worthy of a museum of military history. Measurements: Blade: 25.1 in/64 cm. Machete (with grip): 30.7 in/78 cm.