Hold Guard Shields

Hold Guards in Skyrim each carry a specific shield to represent their respective holds. Their appearance is quite basic, a circular wooden shield with iron trimming and the symbol of the Hold capital city painted across the front.

The shields can typically be obtained by pickpocketing using the Perfect Touch perk, or by simply killing a guard. However, a shield can also be pickpocketed if the guard is using a torch instead (at night), or has a 2-handed weapon equipped, hence having the shield unequipped in the guard's inventory, allowing it to be taken.

Oddly, the shields are considered Heavy Armor in-game, despite their extremely light weight (lighter than a hide shield) and the Hold Guards' helmets and armor being considered Light Armor.

Attributes

All Hold guard shields have the same attributes and can be improved with an Iron Ingot.

Piece				Upgrade	Perk	Item ID
Falkreath Guard's Shield	17	3	40	Iron Ingot	None	000214ED
Hjaalmarch Guard's Shield						000214EF
Markarth Guard's Shield						000214DC
Pale Guard's Shield						000214F7
Riften Guard's Shield						000214BA
Solitude Guard's Shield						000214F4
Whiterun Guard's Shield						000214E0
Windhelm Guard's Shield						000214EB
Winterhold Guard's Shield						000214F1

Shields

Falkreath Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol Falkreath and Falkreath Hold. The shield is primarily blue in color with a painted motif of a deer's head, symbolizing the dense forested terrain that Falkreath is located in. During the course of the civil war, the Stormcloaks may occupy Falkreath and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Hjaalmarch Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol the Hjaalmarch Hold and Morthal. The shield is primarily green and in color with a painted triskelion motif. During the course of the civil war, the Stormcloaks may occupy Morthal and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Markarth Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol The Reach and Markarth. The shield is primarily green in color with a painted motif of a stylized ram's head. During the course of the civil war, the Stormcloaks may occupy Markarth and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Pale Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol The Pale and Dawnstar. The shield is primarily gray in color with a painted motif of a 4-point star. During the course of the civil war, the Imperial Legion or Stormcloaks may occupy Dawnstar and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Riften Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol The Rift and Riften. The shield is primarily lavender in color with a painted motif of 2 crossed daggers. This is a reference to former Jarl of Riften, Hosgunn Crossed-Daggers. During the course of the civil war, the Imperial Legion may occupy Riften and replace the guards that carry these shields, however if the Stormcloaks are joined and Riften is taken back, the original guards may return carrying the shield.
Solitude Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol the Haafingar Hold and Solitude. It can be pickpocketed without the Perfect Touch perk from Captain Aldis, who has the shield in his inventory. The shield is primarily red in color with a painted motif of a wolf. This is symbolic of Potema, the so-called Wolf Queen of Solitude, who ruled over Skyrim during the Third Era. During the course of the civil war, the Stormcloaks may occupy Solitude and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Whiterun Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol Whiterun Hold and Whiterun. It can be found next to a set of Whiterun Guard's Armor in a display case in the Dragonsreach Jarl's Quarters. The shield is primarily yellow in color with a painted motif of a horse's head. During the course of the civil war, the Stormcloaks may occupy Whiterun and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Windhelm Guard's Shield Carried by the guards who patrol Eastmarch and Windhelm. The shield is primarily blue in color with a painted motif of a bear's head - this is the symbol of the Stormcloak rebellion and represents an alias of Ulfric Stormcloak - The Bear of Markarth. It may also represent the previous Jarl of Windhelm and Ulfric's father who was simply known as "The Bear of Eastmarch." During the course of the civil war, the Imperial Legion may occupy Windhelm and replace the guards that carry these shields.
Winterhold Guard's Shield This shield is oddly not carried by any of the guards in the city of Winterhold itself. However a guard on the road near Whistling Mine and Journeyman's Nook carries this shield. The shield is primarily white in color with a painted motif of a crown - this is due to the fact that Winterhold was originally the capital of Skyrim and thus was considered to be the seat of power for the High King. During the course of the Civil War, the Imperial Legion may occupy Winterhold and replace the guard that carries this shield.