|
Post by Jack Tar on Jan 6, 2013 19:09:08 GMT
I took the plunge recently and purchased what is purportedly a Confederate naval boarding cutlass at a local gun show. I very much doubt it's a forgery as it's not a copy of anything particularly well known, like a M1841 USN boarding cutlass. It is apparently, as with the vast majority of Confederate naval arms, a European-sourced cutlass. It has a Bavarian-style 3-bar brass hilt with a waisted double-edged gladius-style blade that was all the rage that had been popularized by the French M1816 Foot Artillery sword (and later copied in the US in the M1832 artillery and M1841 naval swords). The hilt is peened, with a grooved hardwood grip, with no missing parts and it's nice and tight. If someone did forge this they went to a lot of trouble for not much money. I did notice a bewildering array of German hilts while I was there. I gather this is due to the fact that Germany wasn't unified yet and each state had its own styles. I've been trying to find references online with largely no luck. I did find this site: www.pickelhaubes.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5853If you scroll down to "Tony without Kaiser's" second post you'll see he reproduced a couple of pages from a German book illustrating some of the hilt types you might find (the hilt on my cutlass is depicted in illustration #19). I saw others that weren't depicted, but I have no reason to doubt they're genuine. Does anyone know of a good reference for 19th century German swords?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 21:18:43 GMT
Hey Jack, you might want to check on the Gerd Maier 8 tome series on the Prussian swords and edged weapons, which identifies nearly all existing Prussian sword patterns, also look up for his other series on the Baden swords.
Then the Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie sword catalog by Tharston Press; the Eickhorn edged weapons Exports catalog; the Carl Eickhorn Imperial German edged weapons catalog (and price guide) and the German swords and sword makers book by Richard Bezdek (mostly for makers marks but some pictures of patterns at the end). These are easily found on eBay btw.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 22:17:54 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Jack Tar on Jan 6, 2013 22:44:51 GMT
Thanks for the references. And the link. Now I have an excuse (and a need) to brush up on my high school German.
|
|
|
Post by Jack Tar on Jan 8, 2013 22:09:49 GMT
Pinotte,once more, I appreciate the tips. I found the Bezdek book on German swords and swordmakers on ebay and bought it. I'll keep looking for the others. Thanks again.
|
|
|
Post by Freebooter on Feb 26, 2013 5:31:38 GMT
A friend has his gr gr grandfather's U.S. 1860 Lt Cav Sabre that he carried in a Confderate Cavalry unit in the War for Southern Independence. But on the blade it says "H. Boker, Solingen, Germany". So I suppose it was a contract 1860 Pattern sabre. I know it is the best balanced sabre I ever held in my life and blade is still sharp (only the forward 1/3 of it was sharpened). I have written Boker Knives two or three times about it and they don't seem to have the common courtesy or honor to ever reply to me. Freebooter
|
|
|
Post by Jack Tar on Mar 7, 2013 14:56:09 GMT
Since the Solingen factory and apparently virtually all the records were completely destroyed during WWII maybe your best bet would be to contact Boker USA instead. Heinrich Bocker in Solingen exported swords to his brother Herman (most marked "H. Boker" like yours) who operated as H. Boker & Co. in New York during the Civil War. I'm not at all sure if Boker USA became heir to H. Boker & Co.'s records but it may be a better place to start.
What sort of information are you requesting?
|
|
|
Post by Freebooter on Mar 7, 2013 17:41:51 GMT
Thanks Jack, I will give that a try! FB
|
|