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Nation : British
Local Price : £330.00

British 1899 Pattern Cavalry Trooper’s Sword, 1st King’s Dragoon Guards. Curved single-fullered sabre blade, Steel bowl guard with turned-over inside edge. No washer. Black pressed leather grips secured to the exposed full-width tang with three large rivets, steel pommel. No scabbard. Blade ~33¼ inches (85.6cm) in length, the sword ~40 inches (101.7) overall. The ricasso of the blade is stamped on one side with a broad arrow War Department mark, ‘EFD’ indicating manufactured at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, a crown inspection stamp with ‘E’ for Enfield and an ‘X’ indicating the blade passed a manufacturer’s bending test. It is stamped on the other side with reissue dates of ’02, ’03 and ’06 and two further Enfield crown inspection stamps. The spine of the blade is stamped with ‘/99’, its pattern, and another Enfield crown inspection mark. The exposed tang is stamped near the hilt with the letters ‘G’ and ‘X’. The outside of the guard is stamped with another broad arrow, ‘EFD’ and crown inspection stamp with ‘E’. The inside of the guard is stamped with the issue date ‘9 06’ for September 1906 above the unit mark ‘1 DG’, indicating the 1 st King’s Dragoon Guards and the serial number ‘413’. The ‘D’ has been double stamped creating an overlap. The 1899 Pattern cavalry trooper’s sword was introduced on the 19 th October 1899, eight days after the Second Boer War broke out. It was intended to be a refinement on the 1890 Pattern, with a slightly shorter blade, greater protection for the hand and a longer grip. Users generally considered it on the heavy side and much more effective in the thrust than the cut: this cemented the growing consensus that cavalry swords should be built entirely for thrusting. The 1899 Pattern was carried during the Boer War, in which the 1 st King’s Dragoon Guards served from January 1901. Immediately upon their arrival they were drafted into a brigade under Colonel Bethune which drove General De Wet’s forces out of the Cape Colony. They then operated in the Orange River Colony until the end of the war in 1902. The dates on this example suggest that it was in use with someone as of 1902, and the brown finish found in places on the hilt might well be field camouflage, but the 1906 date next to the unit mark suggests to me that it was not issued to the KDG until then, so its war service is uncertain. The blade has speckled patination with some patches of light pitting, increasing towards the tip. The edge has previously been sharpened with numerous nicks. The tip is rounded. The outside of the hilt has some denting, a few scratches, cleaned pitting and spots of dark patination. There is a noticeable red-brown finish present on most of the inside of the hilt (except near the lip where the unit mark is placed), parts of the exposed tang, and on small areas of the outside of the hilt, including around the sword knot slit and near the turned-over inner guard – in both cases these are recesses where there would be less friction and polishing would be difficult. This finish may be chemical browning, it does not appear to be paint. Cavalry swords in the Boer War were routinely camouflaged due to the well-known marksmanship of the Boers. The leather grips have light handling wear, a few small dents and abrasions.

Nation : Italian
Local Price : 455.00 USD

ITALIAN ARTILLERY OFFICER’S SWORD C.1880. Plated iron hilt with segmented bowl guard and radially reeded pommel. Plating worn inside the bowl. One piece ebony grip. 30 1/2” curved broad fullered blade crisply decorated the first half with foliage, arms of Italy, military trophies and the artillery flaming bomb. Plated scabbard freckled with some wear but no dents. This sword dates to the period of Italy's colonial expansion into Africa and the conflicts it brought on including the Italo-Ethiopian War (1895-6) and the ongoing war with the Ottoman Empire which controlled Libya.

Nation : American
Local Price : £455.00

19th Century, Antique, Mandingo Mandinka Chief's Slave and Gold Trader's Sword With Tattooed-Leather Covered Wooden Scabbard. A most scarce and original African slave and gold trader chieftain's sword The Manding (Mandingo) are West African people. Their traditional slaver's sword comprises a sabre like blade, a guardless leather grip and wide expanded scabbard with exquisite tattooed leather work. This example is a fine example of very nice quality and most finely tattooed. It has a 16 inches long curved blade, leather grip and leather scabbard with leaf shaped widening tip, entirely tooled tattooed and decorated. Of special interest is the finely bound and decorated leather work. These weapons are well known for their rare leather-work and the tattooing applied to the leather of the scabbards. The iron work skills are of black-smith quality. Slave raiding, capture and trading in the Mandinka regions existed in significant numbers long before the European colonial era, as is evidenced in the memoirs of the 14th century Moroccan traveller and Islamic historian Ibn Battuta. Slaves were part of the socially stratified Mandinka people, and several Mandinka language words, such as Jong or Jongo refer to slaves. There were fourteen Mandinke kingdoms along the Gambia River in the Senegambia region during the early 19th century, for example, where slaves were a part of the social strata in all these kingdoms. Scholars have offered several theories on the source of the transatlantic slave trade of Mandinka people. According to Boubacar Barry, a professor of History and African Studies, chronic violence between ethnic groups such as Mandinka people and their neighbours, combined with weapons sold by slave traders and lucrative income from slave ships to the slave sellers, fed the practice of captives, raiding, manhunts, and slaves. The victimised ethnic group felt justified in retaliating. Slavery was already an accepted practice before the 15th century. As the demand grew, states Barry, Futa Jallon led by an Islamic military theocracy became one of the centres of this slavery-perpetuating violence, while Farim of Kaabu (the commander of Mandinka people in Kaabu) energetically hunted slaves on a large scale. Martin Klein (a professor of African Studies) states that Kaabu was one of the early suppliers of African slaves to European merchants Many blades were taken by the Mandingo and fitted from European weapons, such as sabres and short cutlasses. . In general, these remain primarily considered Mandingo weapons, and from regions in Mali. These were of course invariably mounted with European sabre blades. Mandingo Tribe (also known as the Mandinka, Mande, or the Malinke Tribes) were the traders of the African West Coast, trading primarily in gold and slaves. In 1324, Mansa Musa who ruled Mali, went on Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with a caravan carrying gold. Shihab al-Umari, the Arabic historian, described his visit and stated that Musa built mosques in his kingdom, established Islamic prayers and took back Maliki school of Sunni jurists with him. According to Richard Turner – a professor of African American Religious History, Musa was highly influential in attracting North African and Middle Eastern Muslims to West Africa Picture in the gallery of a Mandingo Slave Trader Chieftain, standing next to his boy sword bearer, carrying his very same form of 'tattooed' sword. One, from an original collection of weapons we recently acquired. Overall the leather on this sword in in exceptional condition and beautifully decorated. Early medeavil painting in the gallery of Mansa Musa's visit to Mecca in 1324 CE with large amounts of gold, that not unsurprisingly attracted many Middle Eastern Muslims and Europeans to Mali.

Nation : German
Local Price : £325.00

Italian M1860 Cavalry Trooper’s Sword. Curved, single-fullered spear-pointed blade. Black leather grip bound with brass wire. Steel hilt with turned over inner edge, large pierced teardrop-shaped hole to form two ‘bars’, and angled rectangular slot for sword knot. Stepped cylindrical steel pommel cap. Steel scabbard with two hanging rings. The ricasso of the blade is marked on one side with ‘S&K’, the maker’s mark of Schnitzler & Kirschbaum of Solingen, one of the German firms which manufactured these swords on behalf of the Italian government. The hilt is stamped with the serial number ‘156’. The blade's edge is unsharpened but there are a few very small dents and edge imperfections, with one noticeable chip/roll where the fuller ends. A couple of small dents to the edge of the guard. Some patina to the scabbard, light pitting at the chape end, one noticeable dent to the lower section and one very small dent at the chape.

Nation : German
Local Price : £325.00

Bavarian Circa 1810 Infantry Trooper’s Sword. Single-edged hanger blade with narrow fuller running close to the spine and hatchet point. Brass hilt with round forward quillon and plain knucklebow, smooth brass backstrap with tang button, ribbed grip of black leather over wood. Black leather washer. No scabbard. Blade ~23½ inches in length (59.4cm), the sword 28¼ inches (71.8cm) overall. The blade is engraved on both sides with the crown and cypher of Maximilian I Joseph, first King of Bavaria, who reigned from 1806 to 1825. The blade is sharp with a number of nicks and chips to its edge in the upper portion. Scattered spots of cleaned pitting to the blade, more significant patches at the shoulder and near the tip. Some rounding wear to the tip sharpening marks, also polishing marks to the faces. The leather washer has some losses on one side. The grip is all intact with no losses. The brass hilt and backstrap have a few small dents and an even midtone patina.

Nation : French
Local Price : £325.00

French M1822 Light Cavalry Sabre. EL7299 - A French M1822 light cavalry troopers' sabre. No maker's markings or stamps that I can see. Blade quite bright and in good condition, of 36 inches long. A tiny bit of movement in the guard. Leather grip intact and earlier type of two ring scabbard.

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : $450.00

Asian Carved Bone Tanto Dagger, Probably 19th C Japanese. This type dagger was often carved from the leg bone of a Buddhist monk, though we do not believe that is the case with this example. It features an unmarked 6″ single-edged blade of flattened wedge section, with small copper habaki (blade ferrule). Tsuka (handle), tsuba (guard), and saya (scabbard) are made of multiple pieces of bone, carved with Japanese samurai figures. Blade is not hand forged, which is common with decorative daggers of this type. Very good condition, some bone pieces possibly replaced, as they are lighter in color. Overall length 10 1/8″ without saya, 12″ with the saya.

Nation : British
Local Price : £450.00

An Attributed Victorian Infantry Sword of a Senior Career Officer.. An attributed sword almost certainly belonging to Colonel Edward James Courtenay 1848-1906, 35th Regiment (Royal Sussex Regiment). An 1822/45 Infantry Officers sword with regulation pattern brass hilt with folding section with wire bound fish-skin grip and 1845 type fullered blade, in steel scabbard with two suspension rings. The folding guard was superseded from around 1854 by a solid guard so this is a latish example but some officers had a preference for them. The blade is etched with crown, royal cypher, scrolling foliage and a crest of a branch of the Courtenay family showing a Dolphin embowed over a Ducal coronet with the motto Quod Verum Tutum (What is true is safe) above monogram EJC. The sword was retailed by J. B. Johnstone of Sackville Street London & Dublin. J. B. Johnstone traded from Sackville Street from at least 1861 to 1897, and this ties in with E. J. Courtenay as he was first commissioned in 1862. Colonel Courtenay had a long and distinguished career which included being a Sandhurst Instructor, commanding the 1st Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment and being Assistant Adjutant General, Headquarters, Ireland, at the time of Queen Victoria’s visit to Ireland in 1900. Summary of Career 1848 born 14th August 1862 30 th June Ensign 35th Foot 1870 16 th March promoted Lieutenant 1875 attached 21st Hussars Aldershot for instruction 1878 promoted Captain 1878-1885 Instructor in Tactics at the Royal Military College Sandhurst and was also Honorary Secretary of Cricket matches at Sandhurst 1883 promoted Major 1890 promoted Lieutenant Colonel, appointed to command 1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment 1892 Lt Col Courtenay was presented to the Duke of Connaught by the Adjutant General at a Levee held at St James’s Palace 1894 6th August promoted Brevet Colonel, 28th October Substantive Colonel, appointed AAG (Assistant Adjutant General) Headquarters Ireland 1896 Colonel Courtenay attended a Levee at St James’s Palace held by HRH Duke of Connaught on behalf of the Queen 1899 As AAG Ireland Colonel Courtenay was on the staff directing Military Manouvres in Ireland 1900 April, at Queen Victoria’s visit to Ireland Col Courtenay as AAG Headquarters Ireland was with Headquarters Staff at the head of the march past in Phoenix Park Dublin. 1905 A Short Record of the Royal Sussex Regiment 1701-1905 by Colonel Courtenay was published. 1906 6th April, Colonel Courtenay Died at St Andrews

Nation : Unknown
Local Price : £450.00

An attributed Edward VII 1897 Pattern Infantry Officers Sword.

Nation : British
Local Price : $450.00

British P1796 Light Cavalry Officer’s Saber. Featuring iron hilt with “P” guard slotted for a sword knot, long reverse ricasso with scrolll finial, single langets at quillon block, and dove-head pommel with integral backstrap. Shagreen-covered wood grip with twisted iron wire wrap (shagreen missing from top portion and crack in wood). Unmarked 33″ (84 cm) curved single-edged blade with broad 4/5- length single fuller and original leather blade washer. No scabbard. Iron parts with dark rust patina. Blade smooth, with dark patina, scratches and shallow edge nicks on the lower half. Overall length 37 3/4″ (96 cm). The standard British light cavalry sword of the Napoleonic Wars, many of which saw action at Waterloo.

Nation : Unknown
Local Price : £450.00

1885 Pattern Cavalry Troopers Sword..

Nation : British
Local Price : £320.00

British Circa 1820 India Pattern Brown Bess Socket Bayonet with India Spring. Triangular blade with unfullered top surface and fullered lower surfaces. A roughly rectangular leaf spring is attached to the outer surface of the socket, retained by a single screw. Wood-lined black leather scabbard with brass locket and chape piece. The blade is stamped with the maker’s mark ‘S HILL’, indicating the manufacturer Stephen Hill, who traded from Pritchett Street in Birmingham from around 1830, then changed the trade name to S. Hill & Sons from 1849-1855, an inspection mark ‘D 4’, and the letter ‘F’ at the very base of the blade. The blade markings are partly worn: Indian socket bayonets were repolished often to keep them bright, which often resulted in the loss of detail to the markings. The rear rim of the socket is stamped with ‘6’ and four incised lines. The leather at the throat end is stamped with decorative criss-crossing lines. The ‘Indian Spring’ was reputedly designed by Ezekiel Baker, the same gunsmith who created the famous Baker Rifle, to improve the fastening of the socket bayonet to the India Pattern Brown Bess musket. This is the later version of the spring introduced around 1820 with an almost rectangular shape, still doing the same job of preventing the bayonet from shifting position once it had been fixed to the rifle, but stronger than the early type, which was more triangular. The bayonet is clean overall with only small areas of patina and some very light pitting near the tip of the blade. The brass chape piece and a small amount of leather have become detached from the rest of the scabbard. The detached chape piece has several dents, the throat piece has one very small one to its rim. The leather of the scabbard is quite worn in places, with rubbing to raised edges and surface cracking.

Nation : US
Local Price : £320.00

US Navy Model 1870 Yataghan Bayonet. Yataghan blade, brass hilt with muzzle ring and lobe quillon, brass grip with ‘feathered’ or ‘fishscale’ texture, beaked pommel with motif of crossed cannon barrels over an anchor. Unusual hilt design with high leaf spring locking catch and lower hole to accommodate the cleaning rod of the 1870 rifle. Black leather scabbard with brass locket and chape, with frog stud. Blade is unmarked. Hilt is marked with ‘S’. The back of the grip is stamped with ‘GGS’ and the pommel end with ‘J.G.B’. The US 1870 Navy rifle was a Springfield made rolling block type – the bayonets for it are thought to have all been made by the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts. Two versions are known to exist, this version with the yataghan blade and a straight-bladed version. Blade has some pitting, brass hilt has some very small dings and patina as expected for age. Scabbard is very good, only minor rubbing to the leather, no structural damage. Some small dents to the chape piece.

Nation : Unknown
Local Price : £320.00

An Antique, 19th Century Long & Straight Sword of A Mandinka Warrior, West African, Very Long Fluted Broadsword Blade With Leather Covered Baluster Hilt, .. In some areas they are referred to locally as termed a 'kota' and in the scabbard was termed 'kotaholga' ( house 'for the sword') The Mandinka are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita, who founded an empire that would go on to span a large part of West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. Nowadays, the Mandinka inhabit the West Sudanian savanna region extending from The Gambia and the Casamance region in Senegal to Ivory Coast. Although widespread, the Mandinka constitute the largest ethnic group only in the countries of Mali, Guinea and The Gambia. Most Mandinka live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Their traditional society has featured socially stratified castes.Mandinka communities have been fairly autonomous and self-ruled, being led by a chief and group of elders. Mandinka has been an oral society, where mythologies, history and knowledge are verbally transmitted from one generation to the next. Their music and literary traditions are preserved by a caste of griots, known locally as jelis, as well as guilds and brotherhoods like the donso (hunters). Between the 16th and 19th centuries, many Muslim and non-Muslim Mandinka people, along with numerous other African ethnic groups, were captured, enslaved and shipped to the Americas. They intermixed with slaves and workers of other ethnicities, creating a Creole culture. The Mandinka people significantly influenced the African heritage of descended peoples now found in Brazil, the Southern United States and, to a lesser extent, the Caribbean. This high-status sword from The Gambia demonstrates the widespread African practice of importing European sword blades and supplying them with a hilt and scabbard of local style. The blades of such Mandinka dress swords are usually reflecting the economic networks of European colonial influence. These swords were the exclusive prerogative of Mandinka men of importance or social standing and were intended to enhance their impressive and martial appearance. Photos in the gallery of 19th century Sudanese warriors but carrying very similar swords with cruciform broadsword blades like this one and the paddle ended scabbards

Nation : Italian
Local Price : £320.00

Italian M1860 Cavalry Sword by Schnitzler & Kirschbaum. EL7294 - Italian M1860 cavalry sword made by Schnitzler & Kirschbaum. Good complete condition, no movement, grip wire still in place. Late-19th century variation of the scabbard with one ring.

Nation : Russian
Local Price : 445.00 USD

PRUSSIAN M.1852 CAVALRY SABER. Plated hilt with pierced bowl guard. Saddled backstrap and pommel. Ribbed composition grip with crack to the heel. Plating worn along the back but otherwise intact. 31 3/4" quill back blade with maker's mark of W K & C (Weyersberg Kirchbaum & Co) dating it post 1883. Blade excellent.

Nation : -
Local Price : 445.00 USD

U S MILITIA NCO SWORD C.1840. Brass hilt with bow tie form cross guard, spread eagle decorated pommel and blackened simulated sharkskin grip with separate wire wrap. That construction was to enhance purchase of the grip for battle. 25 ¾” convex face double edged blade, unmarked. Blade with smooth gray patina. Hilt with expected wear. Scabbard surface congealed with crisp excellent mounts. Likely owes its survival to its service in the Civil War.

Nation : -
Local Price : 445.00 USD

US 1902 PATTERN ARMY OFFICER’S SWORD. See The American Sword, Peterson #77 and pattern still in current use. This example dating to post 1990 with a 30 3/4” curved broad fullered blade marked GERMANY to blade back with Star of David proof. US, eagle, flags, military arms and foliage decoration to 2/3 of the blade. Finger stall composition grip. Blade, hilt, and scabbard (undamaged) with virtually all plating intact. About as good as they come.

Nation : French
Local Price : £315.00

French M1916 WW1 ‘Vengeur’ Fighting Knife / Trench Knife by S.G.C.O.. Double edged spear-pointed knife blade, turned wood grip, steel cross hilt. Scabbard of sheet steel with steel belt loop. This example is stamped ‘S.G.C.O.’ within a cartouche. This is a maker’s mark, most likely referring to the Societe Generale de Coutellerie et Orfevrerie (General Society of Cutlery and Goldsmithing), a manufacturer founded in 1796 which operated the factory at Seychalles Bridge in Thiers from 1902, one of many in the ‘Vallée des Usines’ (Valley of the Factories) which harnessed the river Durolle to drive its machines. This type of knife is often called the ‘Vengeur’ in reference to the more commonly seen stamp ‘Le Vengeur de 1870’, meaning ‘The Avenger of 1870’. This refers to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in which the French were badly defeated and lost their territories of Alsace and Lorraine to the Prussians. Memories of this humiliation were clearly still strong in the minds of French soldiers once again defending against German invasion. Interestingly, the blades on these knives are identical to those used on French-made versions of the US 1918 trench knives. It is likely that French manufacturers produced both types in parallel. The blade has some light pitting in places but shows no edge damage. The hilt has some patination and is bent downwards on one side – this may well be a period modification to provide more of a guard over the user’s fingers, like that of several German models. The wood grip has its polished finish with one small crack next to the hilt – this is surface-level and the grip remains solid.

Nation : -
Local Price : 435.00 USD

U S MILITIA NCO SWORD C.1840. Bronze hilt with bow tie form cross guard, spread eagle decorated pommel and simulated sharkskin grip with separate wire wrap. 28 1/8” medially ridged double edged blade, unmarked. Maroon leather covered iron scabbard with fine pierced pewter mounts. The throat mount with eagle and stars and bars and bronze stud matching the hilt. The tip mount pierced with foliage. Blade with smooth gray patina. Hilt with expected wear. Scabbard surface congealed with crisp excellent mounts. Likely owes its survival to its service in the Civil War.

Nation : -
Local Price : 435.00 USD

SARDINIAN NCO SWORD C.1850. Brass hilt with baluster knuckle bow and radial pattern pommel. Good one piece diced ebony grip (crack). 27” slightly curved blade of heavy wedge section shows gray patina, some isolated pitting and surface marks from use. Dating to the period of the peasant revolts against the privatization and their exclusion from the lands on which they farmed, all of which were repressed by the Sardinian military.

Nation : French
Local Price : 435.00 USD

FRENCH ENLISTED MAN HANGER, THIRD REPUBLIC. Possibly infantry but a pattern we have not encountered before. Brass hilt with D form guard. One piece grip (spirally ribbed one side) and globular pommel with the Third Empire cock or rooster in high relief. 24 7/8” straight broad fullered blade marked SOLINGEN at the ricasso. The right side with a large inscription, weak as applied and indiscernible. Surely rare and potentially important example.

Nation : American
Local Price : £310.00

WW1 US Battle Of “Château-Thierry”.... An interesting First World War period American trench knife. A double-edged steel blade, showing no signs of manufactures mark. The grip is cast from

Nation : British
Local Price : £310.00

Prussian M1816 Infantry Hanger / Sabre. Curved hanger blade with hatchet point, single fuller. Cast brass heart-shaped hilt with short quillon and knucklebow, brass grip with diagonal grooves on one side and smooth on the other, round brass pommel. No scabbard. Blade 25½ inches (65cm) in length, the sword 31½ inches (80cm) overall. The M1816 was a near-copy of its predecessor the M1715 infantry sword. The Napoleonic Wars having finally concluded, the Prussian army chose in 1815 to adopt the French infantry saber as standard for their infantry – the Guards regiments however preferred the old Prussian model and so new stocks were produced. The blade is of the form the English called a ‘hanger’ although German sources consider it a sabre. Sturdy and simple to produce, these swords had a long service life, remaining in use longest as a parade weapon with the Schloßgarde-Kompanie (guards of the royal palaces) until they units were disbanded with the end of the Prussian monarchy in 1918. This example is very slightly non-standard, having simpler ferrules and a blade about 3/8 of an inch longer. It bears no official markings so might be a privately purchased version. The blade has a bright polished finish. There are a few small nicks to the blade around its midsection and some very small patches of pitting in the same area. The brass of the hilt has an even patina, with the usual minor dents and some brown spotting. It has one small crack near where the knucklebow meets the hilt, but remains solid with no movement. The quillon is bent slightly to one side.

Nation : British
Local Price : £310.00

British Mark I 1856 Pattern Drummer's Sword, Royal Fusiliers, Circa 1886 by Mole. Straight unfullered double-edged spear-pointed blade with diamond cross-section, brass hilt with central VR cypher of Queen Victoria, triangular langets and trefoil finials. Longitudinally ribbed brass grip, flared pommel with tang button. Black leather scabbard with brass fittings at throat and chape, the throat piece with teardrop-shaped frog stud. The brass grip is stamped on one of the narrow, smooth sides with ‘R F. L.COY.’, indicating that this sword was issued to L Company of the Royal Fusiliers, as well as a broad arrow over ‘WD’ which is a War Department stores mark, and a crown inspection stamp. The other smooth side of the grip is marked with what are probably rack numbers including ‘33’. All the grip markings are somewhat faint due to rubbing which has somewhat smoothed the features of the hilt overall – this is probably attributable to repeated polishing of the brass, probably during its service life. The edge of the ricasso is stamped on one side with an illegible mark that may be two overlaid stamps. The throat piece of the scabbard is stamped on one edge with the maker’s mark ‘MOLE’, and next to the throat with the date ‘2 . 1886’ indicating February 1886, probably the manufacture date. These short swords were issued to drummers of infantry regiments. While the pattern was ordered to be adopted in 1856, there is evidence that similar-looking swords were being carried by musicians in some units as early as 1843, and some units did not actually adopt the new pattern until years after its introduction. Wholly ornamental, an identical version with a cast iron hilt was issued for buglers. The blade has some light patination in places. The brass hilt and grip has a few tiny spots of patination in recesses, raised areas with overpolishing as previously mentioned. A few small nicks to the unsharpened edge on one side near the midpoint. The leather of the scabbard remains flexible – take care to support it when withdrawing the blade. Some surface-level flaking and cracking to the leather. All its stitching is intact. The brass pieces of the scabbard have a darker patina. Some dents to the edges of the throat piece. Some light dents and scratches to the chape piece, these creating a few tiny spots of brighter brass. None of these interfere with sheathing and drawing the blade.

Nation : Indian
Local Price : £310.00

Late-Victorian Bengal Police Officer's Sword by Pillin. EL7334 - A late-Victorian (circa 1895) Bengal Police officer's sword, by Pillin. In rather worn condition, with quite faint etching to the 32 inch 1892 pattern blade, and the shagreen of the grip very worn from use. The brass Gothic hilt furniture was plated and most of this remains. Complete in Indian field service scabbard. A relatively scarce sword.

Nation : American
Local Price : 425.00 USD

AMERICAN SECRET SOCIETY SWORD. Knights of Friendship, a relatively small and obscure secret society founded by Dr. Mark Kerr in 1859. The popularity of secret societies in America expanded after the Civil War making this one of the earliest. The plated hilt has an arrow cluster among sun, moon, and stars, and globe form pommel with a C on each side (significance unknown). Black japanned grip. The blade is 28 ½” in length, double-edged and excellent. The plated scabbard retains its suspension chains with high relief figure of a 3/4 armor atop a cross through a crown. That last is a Masonic symbol and it is known that Kerr was a Mason, suggesting that the Knights of Friendship, like other know groups, was an auxiliary of the Free Masons.

Nation : American
Local Price : 425.00 USD

AMERICAN SECRET SOCIETY SWORD LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY. The Odd Fellows, founded in England in the 18th century, was a secret society which promoted brotherhood and good will among its members. It is thought that the name referenced skilled workers in fields outside the organized guilds and thus outsiders to the main workers community. This sword is a good example, beautifully finished and overlaid in gold, much of which remains. The chain knuckle bow is lacking. The 27 1/2” blade, in original preservative, is decorated with gilt foliate panels Kiarsarge Encampment. The scabbard is hand engraved with gilt mounts matching the hilt.

Nation : Spanish
Local Price : 425.00 USD

SPANISH NON COMMISSIONED OFFICER’S SWORD, EARLY 20TH CENTURY. Probably dating to the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 or before. Brass hilt with lion head pommel and cross on eagle motif shell guard. Two piece countered wood scale grip. Unmarked 30 ¼” slab side blade evidently patterned after the Japanese 1875 pattern blades.

Nation : British
Local Price : £300.00

Indian 19th Century Foot Artillery Sword. Slightly curved unfullered blade with false edge and spear point. Blade 65.8cm in length, ¼ inch (6.5mm) thick at the shoulder, the sword 78.4cm overall. Steel hilt with forward curving comma-shaped quillon and recurved single bar knucklebow. Full-width tang with slab grips of black hardwood secured by five rivets. Flat teardrop-shaped pommel. No scabbard. These swords are thought to have been used by one of the princely states of British India during the 19 th century. Princely states were protectorates with a degree of autonomy and sometimes considerable wealth, which could raise and equip their own armies or even navies. The swords are somewhat scarce – supposedly all extant examples were discovered as a group and exported together during the 1980s, presumably as a clearout of an old armoury. If true this suggests that they were a small custom order probably intended for a single unit. No scabbards appear to have survived, if they had one originally. The outside of the knucklebow is engraved in Hindi with what appears to be ज ४ ०. In the Devanagari script ज is a consonant with the sound ‘ja’ and ४ ० are numerals for ‘4 0’. I therefore believe this is a rack or serial number, essentially equivalent to ‘J40’. All other examples I can find use the ज prefix and two following digits – I have noted ‘2 9’ and ‘5 0’. Were there fewer than 100 examples? Its design is clearly inspired by standard-issue British Army swords of the 19 th century, especially the 1853 Pattern Cavalry Trooper’s sword, which also uses a full-width tang, black slab grips secured by five rivets and a similar shaped quillon. This model in particular seems to have been well regarded in India – the swords used by the cavalry of the Baroda State were also modelled on it. The blade reminds me somewhat of that of the Baker rifle bayonet: a similar length, unfullered, with a prominent false edge. Baker bayonets were often used as sidearms even beyond the life of the Baker rifle itself. However, some elements of its design are simpler than on British types, such as its unfullered blade and lack of leather covering on the grips, and its construction seems more artisanal than one would expect from British workshops or even larger Indian workshops like Rodwell & Co which made the Baroda swords. This may mean that the swords were made locally by blacksmiths. They are consistently referred to as ‘foot artillery’ swords and this seems reasonable given their design, but I can find no hard evidence for it. They are certainly too short for cavalry use and their thick heavy blades (with essentially no distal taper until the last 12cm) are a far cry from the light, flexible and razor-sharp cutting swords favoured by most Indian swordsmen. Indian foot troops would have been shorter men than the British in that period, and if they were indeed artillerymen they would have also had to kneel while crewing guns without their sidearms getting in the way, and would not have been expected to fight hand-to-hand except in extremis. The blade has been sharpened along the true edge, the false edge is unsharpened. The blade has some spots of patination, one larger spot also with light pitting, some tiny divots which I think are imperfections in forging. Some undulation to the spine, possibly from hand manufacture, with patination to the recessed areas. Some areas of darker patination to the hilt and exposed tang. One grip slab is intact, the other has areas of chipping which partly expose the tang on the edge side and one of the rivets next to the pommel.

Nation : British
Local Price : £300.00

British 1905 Pattern Infantry Staff Sergeant’s Sword, 1912 Rehilt and Conversion for George V. Straight single-fullered spear-pointed blade. Nickel-plated steel hilt of the 1897 Pattern infantry design, with pierced decoration including the crown and cypher of King George V. Ribbed ferrule and fully chequered steel backstrap, integral oval pommel with tang button, these parts non-ferrous and probably German silver (copper-nickel-zinc alloy). Wire-bound black shagreen grip, brown leather washer. Blade 32½ inches in length, the sword 38½ inches overall. Nickel-plated steel infantry parade scabbard with two hanging rings. The blade is stamped at the forte on one side with the manufacture date ’00, an issue stamp ’03, and two crown inspection stamps with ‘E’ for Enfield. The other side is stamped with an ‘X’ indicating that the blade passed a manufacturer’s bending test, and another mark, mostly erased by grinding – by comparison with other examples this is probably the remnant of the maker’s mark EFD, indicating the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield. The spine of the blade is stamped with /99, indicating the pattern, and another Enfield crown inspection stamp. Unlike officers who privately purchased and owned their own swords, staff sergeants were issued their swords from regimental stores like a musket or bayonet, and the swords remained government property. The 1905 Pattern staff sergeant’s sword was unusual in that it was manufactured using surplus 1899 Pattern cavalry trooper’s sword blades, which is thought to have been done to replace swords lost in the Boer War without too much expenditure. As originally produced the 1905 comprised of an unmodified 1899 Pattern blade fitted with new slab grips secured with rivets and an 1897 type infantry hilt bearing the cypher of Edward VII. In 1912 both the 1898 and 1905 Pattern staff sergeant’s swords were officially rehilted to replace the old royal cypher with that of King George V. Having encountered and stocked multiple examples like this one, it is clear to me that other modifications were carried out to many of the 1905 Pattern swords beyond simply replacing the hilt, these modifications tending to bring them closer in form to the infantry officer’s sword (much like the 1898 Pattern sergeant’s sword, which was already a doppelganger of the officer’s model). This example is typical. Its blade has been reduced in length by trimming the tip, and narrowed in both width and thickness by grinding the faces, belly and false edge such that it now fits in an infantry scabbard, a significant change compared to the cavalry type. For comparison: Original 1899 Pattern cavalry blade: Curved, 33½ inches in length, 1.45 inches wide at the shoulder (due to a flare at the base designed to add strength there specifically), 1.05 inches wide at the midpoint (16.75 inches from shoulder), 0.36 inches thick at the shoulder, 0.275 inches thick at the midpoint This sword’s blade: Straight, 32½ inches in length, 1.03 inches wide at the shoulder, 0.76 inches wide at the midpoint (16.75 inches from shoulder, ignoring shortening for a more direct comparison), 0.3 inches thick at the shoulder, 0.18 inches thick at the midpoint After this reshaping, which would have required complete reprofiling of the tip, the blade has been sharpened and mounted with its new hilt plus a new infantry-style shagreen grip and a standard infantry backstrap. The grip is very distinctive on these swords as it is quite crude compared to contemporary equivalents, lacking for instance grooves for the wire. Possibly the tang is wider than standard requiring something bespoke yet easily fabricated. Even with a few manufacturing shortcuts, why the military went to such effort to convert these is an interesting question. My thought is that the 1912 sword would have stood out less on parade than the 1905 Pattern, which needed a larger scabbard and distinctive riveted grip to fit its cavalry blade. Rehilting swords for a new monarch may have become an opportunity for the Army to ‘fix’ the odd-looking and cumbersome 1905 Pattern into something that looked less makeshift, at minimal cost. This rehilt & conversion type is not found in lists of official patterns, but the change is extensive enough that perhaps we ought to consider the 1912 Sergeant’s sword worth noting as a distinct model for collecting purposes. Its features are consistent and it helps explain why the 1905 Pattern staff sergeant’s sword is quite rare today. The blade has visible grinding and sharpening marks to its faces from its conversion, with no apparent effort to put on a polish. Some examples have plated blades but not this one. The edge is, as mentioned, sharp along about 4.5 inches of the false edge and 13 inches of the true edge, with no edge damage and an intact tip. Some spots of moderate patination and a few tiny areas of light cleaned pitting on one side. The hilt and scabbard are all nickel-plated, with some wear and flaking to the plating exposing dark patinated steel, quite extensive in high-friction areas like the inside of the guard and around the sword knot slit. The alloy backstrap and ferrule are bright and clean with only a tiny patch of verdigris on the pommel. The backstrap does not completely fit into the ferrule, and the ferrule itself is slightly misaligned, but despite these the sword is well peened, completely solid in the hand with no movement to any part, and the blade rings when struck. The shagreen of the grip is all intact with light handling wear, its wire binding is all present with slight movement to all loops. The blade sheaths and draws fully and smoothly, its scabbard is free of dents.

Nation : US
Local Price : £300.00

US Navy Model 1870 Yataghan Bayonet. Yataghan blade, brass hilt with partial muzzle ring and lobe quillon, brass grip with ‘feathered’ or ‘fishscale’ texture, beaked pommel with motif of crossed cannon barrels over an anchor. Unusual hilt design with high leaf spring locking catch and lower hole to accommodate the cleaning rod of the 1870 rifle. Black leather scabbard with brass locket and chape, with frog stud. Blade is unmarked. Hilt is marked with ‘S’. The back of the grip is stamped with ‘GGS’ and the pommel end with ‘J.G.B’. The US 1870 Navy rifle was a Springfield made rolling block type – the bayonets for it are thought to have all been made by the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts. Two versions are known to exist, this version with the yataghan blade and a straight-bladed version. Blade has some pitting, brass hilt has some very small dings and patina as expected for age. Scabbard is very good, only minor rubbing to the leather, no structural damage. Some small dents to the chape piece.