Relic Sword Identification (American Spadroon?)
Jun 10, 2020 16:57:27 GMT
Post by loquinho on Jun 10, 2020 16:57:27 GMT
Hey everyone. I’m new to this forum and while I think swords are very cool, you couldn’t call me a collector or enthusiast. Just a fan. I need help identifying something I’ve had for years.
Below are photos I’ve taken of a sword that was in my grandfather’s possession since the 1960’s at the latest. He was an accomplished engineer and radio enthusiast, which spilled over into early metal detecting as a hobby at some point. Apparently he pulled it out of the ground.
He lived in Fredericksburg, VA – an area full of Civil War history, and Virginia itself also has a lot of revolutionary war history. Since I don’t know exactly where he found it, I don’t have much more to go on than that.
In 2013 I took it to a local (Richmond VA) military memorabilia roadshow thing where I could get it appraised. The guy didn’t really know what to make of it, but said it appeared to be a “relic” sword, where the hilt and blade were from different swords and put together later. He dated it pre-Civil War, but said that since swords and blades were passed down through early American families, it could have easily seen service in the Civil War by a soldier using a parent or grandparent’s sword.
I don’t remember what he dated the hilt to, but he said the blade looked older than the hilt.
On to the sword. Here are the photos:
Here’s the overall:
Here are both sides of the hilt. The bottom of the knucklebow is broken off. You can see where it used to attach to the pommel.
And there’s an inscription on the blade. I’ve tried taking a rubbing of it, etc. but never quite been able to make it out. I THINK the first few letters are “DE CAS…”.
My own research:
It’s tough to research a blade when you’re not much up on history. From what I’ve been able to glean from Google Images, the closest thing I’m finding is a sword style called a Spadroon. It seems to fit in with the hilt style of “MID” according to the diagram below, which would put it about right for the Revolutionary War, but the blade is double-edged and symmetrical, which pushes it back a little further.
Here’s a few I found that seem to be similar style:
Best fit: an 1802 French. It’s the only one that has the fancy detail at the upper end of the knucklebow where it meets the gross guard. It also has the checkered wood grip that matches mine. But the pommel is completely different.
Others include a 1790 Georgian, a 1786 Naval, and one I couldn’t find a date on.
One design trait that seems to separate my sword from all these is the lower end of the knucklebow. All the other swords of this type sweep into the pommel like a traditional D guard or stirrup hilt. Mine has a sharp defined corner before it bends back to the pommel. While that piece is broken, there’s enough metal left to show how it was originally. I did a quick sketch of my guesses on possible shapes based on the ends.
So give me all you’ve got! This thing has been worming away at my brain for years now and I’d love to get some closure on it. Thanks in advance for the help. If you have any questions I’ll answer them as best I can.