It seems like a pretty decent early-mod 19th century hirschfanger. The etching of the deer/elk appears a little primitive, but not unheard of on these style blades. It seems like there's frequently damage to the disc guards on these things, which makes no sense to me because their purpose was to protect the hand from fierce game (such as a wounded boor) "riding up" the blade to attack the welder's arm, yet so many seem to break over time. I assume the more ornamental pieces in particular don't hold up, but yours seems like a pretty stout example. How does the end of the blade look?
|