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Post by michaelauer21 on Dec 2, 2018 1:45:52 GMT
Hello, I believe what I have here is an Austro-Hungarian Cavalry Saber Model 1850 for enlisted men and NCOs. I mainly used the book "With Drawn Sword: The Austro-Hungarian Edged Weapons from 1848 to 1918" as a reference. Measurements seem to be matching the description and the hand guard has the seven non-symmetrical holes as described in the book. There are several markings on the sword: - GF/C. JURMANN on the ricasso - JURMANN/1851??? on the scabbard - F.S. JUNG/1855 on the handguard I was very surprised to see two different maker marks. I found out that after 1854 an upgrade was made to the blade and a metal insert was placed at the ricasso to add stability to the blade thrust and prevent the hilt from loosening. It seems like this is the case with my example. Is this the reason for the second mark from F.S. JUNG/1855? Does anyone know details about this upgrade? Comments are very much appreciated. Thanks, Mike
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Dec 2, 2018 16:49:07 GMT
The reason for the later mark was often that a repair was made and the sabre was inspected again. Standard practise was to take parts from failed sabres to make one good one. Hence the difficulty to get a sabre, hilt and scabbard combo that is ,, nummern gleich''. Very nice specimen by the way.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Dec 8, 2018 11:39:32 GMT
Lucky you!
The 1845 and 50 dragoons are very hard to come buy. Terribly expensive, for a sword that "Drawn Sword" states was a ordnance failure. The solid cast iron guard plates had an unacceptably high rate of failure. The program was abandoned before the 1858 "fix" was delivered. Large number of 1858 wound up sold to the Union and Confederacy in 1861-2.
While the Austrian sabers appear overly problematic, they were also employed by Baden, Wurtemberg, Hanau and in 1867, Switzerland.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Dec 8, 2018 23:20:27 GMT
The condition of your sword appears exceptional. Nice find.
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Post by Afoo on Dec 10, 2018 3:36:19 GMT
Nice find - super envious!
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Post by michaelauer21 on Dec 11, 2018 3:13:15 GMT
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Post by Pino on Dec 11, 2018 14:08:35 GMT
You're right, they are somewhat hard to find these days and command big prices when they are in excellent condition and only with some patience you can find them: still have my unmodified 1850 that I got 2 years ago, with blackened fittings and I don't think I spent more than 650$CAD (including shipping and customs and other fees) which is a decent price and reason why I might stick with it and never sell it; I also bought one cheap this summer which was with a loose hilt and repaired blade (post 1854 modification type ricasso) that I later sold to my Austrian contact. .
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