The Antonia Dussack from Landsknecht Emporium is a sister sword to the original Dorothea Dussack; Antonia shares the same blade mounted into a messer-like hilt. A sword that is in the family of the early sabre and cutlass, the Dussack became a popular German and Czech military sidearm in the middle of the 16th century and it continued well into the 17th century. The Antonia shows the simple and practical construction of a utilitarian, but efficient sword that could have been more widely afforded by soldiery and mercenaries than some examples with more complex hilts that would have been commissioned by the elite of society.
The Antonia stays true to being a proper Dussack by being a light and surprisingly agile sword with a blade that is purpose-designed for slicing deeply thanks to its excellent distal taper blade geometry. Its lightweight ensures it strikes with velocity and a greatly thinned tip that would pass through a target with minimal drag. The base of the blade stays quite thick to give it impressive durability at the base of the blade. The blade is crafted from 6150 high carbon steel and has been both well tempered and sharpened (the false edge is also sharpened).
The guard and pommel cap are crafted from steel and the contoured Messer style grip is tightly bound in stitched leather. The blade has its tang secured and anchored into the hilt with a robust peen over the pommel.
Landsknecht Emporium products aim to have the aesthetics of historical pieces, not the finish of mass-produced items. Each product bears the signs of its making; of small tool marks and various handcrafted imperfections, which do not affect the build quality or usability but give each of our pieces its unique character.
cgriffith7 (verified owner) –
Very lively and seems well built. You don’t get a scabbard with it which is a bit of a minus though can purchase them from the manufacturer. The construction seems solid, the leather on the handle is functional but crude around the stitching. I like to choke up on the grip a lot and where the ring sits it catches the index finger knuckle and is somewhat uncomfortable, but you can simply change your grip and solve that issue. Nice sword.