19th Century Gentleman's Cutlass from Master and Commander
Mar 2, 2018 16:43:46 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2018 16:43:46 GMT
I originally posted this in the "Patrick O'Brian Appreciation Society on Facebook.
I received my U.S.S.U. "19th Century Gentleman's Cutlass" today in the mail. This was ordered for the film "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" and one of only five made from the original made for Russell Crowe. It could have been used by Mr. Crowe or in a film scene, but there is no way to ever know for sure.
The sword itself is wonderfully made. The fixings and hilt seem to be real brass (but only magnetically tested), the grip is supposedly horn, and the leather is of good quality. Everything is still solid there. The blade has a blunt edge but could be sharpened. It reminds me of stainless steel, but it could very well be carbon steel. Knowing for sure would require more testing. It is heavy but well balanced and feels great in the hand.
The person who sold it to me on eBay is A.E. Glidden, who works with Gary Beauregard, who was involved in the original film. I have attached our eBay correspondence below for the information he offered on the sword.
You can find his eBay store here: www.ebay.com/sch/paint2/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
Me: Hello. I am very interested in this weapon. A couple questions: Is there a maker's mark for the sword? (Any idea on the maker, if not?) Is the edge blunt or sharp? Also, just generally, what is the history of the sword? (Where is it from? Where'd you get it? Overall condition?)
paint2: It appears you bought the cutlass before I could answer your questions. Here are the answers. There is no maker's mark on the blade, the sword was made in Northern India by a firm we use to make reproductions of many different models. The edge is blunt for theatrical and reenactor use. This cutlass is a copy of the sword we had made for Russell Crowe's use in the movie "Master and Commander". This is a new, unused cutlass. I hope this satisfactorily answers your questions.
Me: Thank you for the answers. It all sounds great to me. Please send it as soon as possible. Thank you. By the way, what company had it ordered that you’re with? I just like to know the story behind the blade.
paint2: The company is U.S. Sword and Uniform (USSU). We attend many Rev War through WW 2 events in the Northeast as a sutler. Those events, word of mouth and these eBay sales are our presence in the marketplace. We do very little movie prop business these days. We primarily target the reenactor market. The Russell Crowe blade was copied from an original and your sword and several others were copied from the pattern made for Crowe.
Me: You don't happen to be or know G.C. Beauregard, do you? I know he worked for US Sword of Uniform and I read about his involvement with the film here: www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/swords.html
paint2: Gary Beauregard is the owner of USSU. During the last several years I have assisted him at various reenacting events where we were sutlers. Starting in July of this year he asked me to start offering his wares on eBay. He continues to produce quality reproduction swords and other militaria and I just provide another source for sales. Thank you for the link, neither one of us was aware of its existence.
I received my U.S.S.U. "19th Century Gentleman's Cutlass" today in the mail. This was ordered for the film "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" and one of only five made from the original made for Russell Crowe. It could have been used by Mr. Crowe or in a film scene, but there is no way to ever know for sure.
The sword itself is wonderfully made. The fixings and hilt seem to be real brass (but only magnetically tested), the grip is supposedly horn, and the leather is of good quality. Everything is still solid there. The blade has a blunt edge but could be sharpened. It reminds me of stainless steel, but it could very well be carbon steel. Knowing for sure would require more testing. It is heavy but well balanced and feels great in the hand.
The person who sold it to me on eBay is A.E. Glidden, who works with Gary Beauregard, who was involved in the original film. I have attached our eBay correspondence below for the information he offered on the sword.
You can find his eBay store here: www.ebay.com/sch/paint2/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
Me: Hello. I am very interested in this weapon. A couple questions: Is there a maker's mark for the sword? (Any idea on the maker, if not?) Is the edge blunt or sharp? Also, just generally, what is the history of the sword? (Where is it from? Where'd you get it? Overall condition?)
paint2: It appears you bought the cutlass before I could answer your questions. Here are the answers. There is no maker's mark on the blade, the sword was made in Northern India by a firm we use to make reproductions of many different models. The edge is blunt for theatrical and reenactor use. This cutlass is a copy of the sword we had made for Russell Crowe's use in the movie "Master and Commander". This is a new, unused cutlass. I hope this satisfactorily answers your questions.
Me: Thank you for the answers. It all sounds great to me. Please send it as soon as possible. Thank you. By the way, what company had it ordered that you’re with? I just like to know the story behind the blade.
paint2: The company is U.S. Sword and Uniform (USSU). We attend many Rev War through WW 2 events in the Northeast as a sutler. Those events, word of mouth and these eBay sales are our presence in the marketplace. We do very little movie prop business these days. We primarily target the reenactor market. The Russell Crowe blade was copied from an original and your sword and several others were copied from the pattern made for Crowe.
Me: You don't happen to be or know G.C. Beauregard, do you? I know he worked for US Sword of Uniform and I read about his involvement with the film here: www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/swords.html
paint2: Gary Beauregard is the owner of USSU. During the last several years I have assisted him at various reenacting events where we were sutlers. Starting in July of this year he asked me to start offering his wares on eBay. He continues to produce quality reproduction swords and other militaria and I just provide another source for sales. Thank you for the link, neither one of us was aware of its existence.