|
Post by aronk on Mar 15, 2015 18:00:30 GMT
This sword has just appeared on eBay. Seller is asking $3,400 US, and is attempting to make the claim that it was used at Waterloo. Also attempts to date 1769-1816. There is one minor issue with this: The sword is an 1822 Light Cavalry sabre, so unless a certain police call box was involved, it was nowhere near Waterloo... And as for the price, the seller would be lucky to get much more than $1,000 out of it were he selling to a knowledgeable sword collector in person. $3,500 is VG 1796 LCS Officer's blued and gilt money, not British 1822 LCS with an engraved blade money.
|
|
|
Post by Bryan Heff on Mar 15, 2015 18:03:45 GMT
Good catch and thanks for the heads up. Its a shame that there are these kinds of scumbags out there, sorry of that label seems harsh but dishonestly like that really bugs me. Buyer beware I guess.
|
|
|
Post by DigsFossils-n-Knives on Mar 15, 2015 18:14:17 GMT
Thanks for pointing this out. I wouldn't haven't known better.
It is shameful that this eBay seller, going by the name historian1898 no less, and has 2010 reviews at this time (has sold a lot of items), would make such a claim. Pitiful.
|
|
|
Post by aronk on Mar 15, 2015 18:17:58 GMT
I have sent the seller the following message:
|
|
|
Post by aronk on Mar 15, 2015 18:36:14 GMT
Paging Dave Kelly, Afoo, and Uhlan as a warning regarding this particular seller since I know they also troll eBay for sabres.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Kelly on Mar 15, 2015 19:26:08 GMT
Aronk:
Your heart is in the right place dude, but I think you're way outta your league with this stuff, and ya missed the banana boat here. I say that, although I believe this is probably a fake, it stil could be an over worked original heirloom sabre.
It is a warning to find a seller who specializes in nick-knacks under 100.00 who suddenly gets academic on a high end miracle sabre. If it's too good to be true....
The seller's premise is that he has an officers sabre from the 16th Light Dragoons (Lancers 1816). While the scabbard and hilt are definitely 1821 period in composition, the seller contends that the saber blade is much earlier, at least 1800 vintage, tieing it's use to the Peninsular and the Holy Grail of battles WATRELOO! ( We are so not worthy OOoooooooo... BS! mooooo )
SO, at issue is whether or not we have a truly early hussar blade here, or a fakey wakey.
As a general rule swords before 1821 tend to have no, or, very short ricasso's. What appears to be a very long ricasso in the one background pic of the blade needs to be given more detail. This style of blade dates back to the 1750s in eastern europe and started to caryr into western europe in the 1760's. So the style COULD be real.
As wildly popular as the 1796 LC saber was, I wouldn't expect to see an officer carrying such a thing unless it was heirloom to another family member. The 16 LDC was originally commanded by Gentleman Johnnie Burgoyne of Saratoga fame.
I bought a refurbed P1827 for an officer of the 10th rifles "Wellington's Own" for 500.00. Nothing argued by the seller convinces me I should buy this offering, and certainly not for such a dubious asking price.
|
|
|
Post by aronk on Mar 15, 2015 19:45:29 GMT
Yes, I wrote my message before reading the seller's entire argument. I was a bit peeved at the moment. If it is real, this means that it was rehilted from a pre-standardisation era sabre, then rehilted again onto an 1821/2 style hilt. Now, the 16th was raised in 1759, which would mean that a pre-standardisation blade is possible, but I have seen very few blades that look that good at nearly 250 years of age. Of course, the officer in question may have simply used a pre-standardization sword in whole, as this was permitted if the officer had already purchased the sword when the new model was introduced, but it would have made him rather old by the time of Waterloo, and certainly far too old to be in the army in 1822. Furthermore, if it is real, it is not worth $3,500. No way no how. I'm pretty sure it's fake though.
|
|
Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
|
Post by Uhlan on Mar 15, 2015 21:31:11 GMT
I cannot find a link, so I cannot see what is going on. The seller's name I have seen before. Let me check. Yep, here it is: www.ebay.com/itm/Very-Nice-French-Officers-Sword-Royal-Garde-du-Corps-Gilded-Steel-Hilt-/151607181934?Price is a bit steep, but the condition is quite good for a gilded steel hilt. Other than that, it is a Restouration piece, not of pre revolution times. Further no problems whatever. Thing is in the mail. Will be here, I dunno, next week? So, he has a tendency to miss date some or all of his merchandise. It is not correct behaviour. It gives me the notion he DOES know his trade full well. Thank you for the warning. Another thing I learned is that a well known British dealer sells his seconds and thirds via an address in New York. The reason for this is, that European law is very protective of the consumer and demands strickt and full descriptions of an item bought over the internet. The US rules are not that strict. So the man loads all his just sellable semi junk of to Ebay this way and since there is absolutely no US law telling him to describe his stuff in full, he gets away with this. With him you have to look very carefully for defects, dents and other faults, for in the text you will find nada. Stuff sold this way under Us rules has no buyers protection what ever. Let's say, to keep the libel sharks at bay, his Ebay site has the same orange background in the pictures as his British site. And there seems to be a flag involved too, a huge one, with red an blue an white in it anna birdy too, somewhere, I heard, from Mr. Putin's third cousin, who was very drunk at that Park Lane party last season. Heck! Good lay though! Apart from all the goons waiting in the kitchen. Anna, was it Anna? Let me tell you one thing though: I found the sabre in question. The one thing that makes me know he is shooting himself in the foot with is this: ,, A nickle plated hilt''. At that time there was no nickle plating done. Period. Google nickle plating to see for your self. Industrial nickle plating cq. plating with good reliable results came much later, after 1850 at least. So, if that sabre was re hilted it was done after 1850. Now, it could be that the man doesn't know silver from nickle. That is hard to see sometimes. Silver plate is done like forever, so that would fit his time table. And we know that Officers on the India service HAD to silver plate their weapons because of the rotten climate. Also, the peen on that thing is not good. That kind of sword must have an high end peen, nice round polished, not the sloppy thing I see, that looks like a flattened cauliflower. This tells me that the sabre was re hilted recently by an amateur and so his story is out of the window for me. Nice $750 sabre though.
|
|
|
Post by ineffableone on Mar 15, 2015 22:30:39 GMT
|
|
Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
|
Post by Uhlan on Mar 15, 2015 22:36:20 GMT
Yes, thanks. My link was for the sword I bought from the seller in question. The rest of my post is about the sabre in your link. I had found that one too you know. :)
And Please again again again: Nuke that Like Button admins!
|
|