17th or 18th Century German Sword With Passau Running Wolf Blade

This is a wonderful sword that measures 37" overall, with a 31 1/2" straight, double-edged blade having narrow central fullers. The blade has an overall bright gray patina with some spots of darker freckling along both faces. Old polishing marks can be seen in the metal, and there are some minor nicks along the edges. The forte is numbered 1414 on both faces within the short fullers, and is capped by the Passau "Running Wolf" mark, also on both sides. The number is not a date, but rather a good luck number, or possibly even a reference to Job 14:14 ("If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come"). The brass hilt is typical of the late 18th century, with a separate shell type counterguard, triple branch guard and knucklebow, thumb-ring, tapered horn grip, and a grotesque face pommel cap with exposed capstan rivet at the nose. The brass has an overall dull yellow-ochre patina throughout, with some minor cracks and chips of the bone where it the grip meets the pommel cap. Some simple carved decorations are present there as well. The sword is housed in a leather and brass scabbard with loose throat with frog stud and lightly polished chape. The leather is heavily crazed and flaked, but the seam is still intact on the back. An old brass collection inventory tag is attached to the guard end of the thumb-ring. This is a beautiful Revolutionary War era sword, and would make a great addition to any collection.