Well I've spent some time looking at Wagner and Bezdek references, and found some interesting things.
In "German Swords and Swordmakers" (Richard Bezdek, 2000) on p.204 there is a well done line drawing of a sabre identical to this example, down to the single ring scabbard and spear point. This drawing is by Gerd Maier, who has apparantly written a number of books on German swords.
This drawing is captioned a model 1813 hussar sabre (it is with grouping of drawings labeled as Prussian swords. Later in the grouping is a drawing of a model 1817 hussar sabre (p.217) with three bar guard which resembles the French cuirassier hilts.
I realize that in this time the French dominated in degree the weapons making in parts of Germany, but my question is why the Prussians would have had a M1811, M1813 and M1817 of hussar sabres, all different in hilt?
By 1807, the Prussians were importing British M1796 light cavalry sabres in number and received 6000 that year, by 1813 they had received 10,000.
("The Prussian Model 1811 Cavalry Sabre", Richard Dellar & Jean Binck, Classic Arms and Militaria, Vol.8, #4, July/August 2001).
French blockade caused the interruption in import, resulting in the Prussians developing thier own almost indistinguishable version of these British sabres, which became known as the M1811. These were in production for the next thirty years, and by 1870 there were around 70,000 of these in stores and in use.
The sabre shown here, as I have noted earlier, seems of the type from the latter 19th century and often issued to various German military units, despite the caption of the drawing in the Bezdek source. Since the Bezdek book is actually more of a compendium of makers and miscellaneous data, but unfortunately without text or detail on these sword patterns, it is hard to determine more on the examples in the drawings.
It would be interesting to know if this sabre shown as a model 1813 hussar sabre had more history to support that attribution, and what is even more compelling for the latter 19th century date I suggest is the makers mark.
The venerable Solingen swordmaking makers the Weyersberg family did not merge with the equally prominant maker of Kirschbaum until 1883, with the initials WK&C representing Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Cie. They were still in business in 2005.
I feel this is is most probably a sabre of latter 19th c. probably pre WWI, based on the markings on the blade and the general style, which though somewhat like the stirrup hilt model 1811 Blucher sabel, is clearly not the same. Only a more thorough reference to Imperial German military swords would confirm the exact pattern, and I do not have those on hand.
I do know that "Cut and Thrust Weapons" (Eduard Wagner, Praque, 1967) does not show this pattern, and I did check the German, Austrian and French sections.
I hope any of this helps......as I say, I did find this exact pattern sabre in Bezdek shown as a model 1813 hussar sabre, but I honestly cannot accept this attribution.
A sabre conundrum indeed!!! Any other takers out there?
All the best,
Jim