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Post by tuthmose on Feb 5, 2022 19:24:04 GMT
As part of my restoration of my French 1845/55 Adjutant sabre, I’m trying to figure out what to do with the scabbard. It appears to be something of an anomaly.
The sabre’s serials align with its 1880 manufacture date. The scabbard has matching serials, BUT it’s a single-ring model, made/issued after 1887, so that can’t be original to the blade. I’m guessing it must be a later armory-issued replacement, since the serials match? Or is it more likely to have been shenanigans on the part of a later seller to increase value by stamping a matching mark on a spare they had lying around? Did government-issue replacements get marked to match the sword like that?
Serials aside, I need to make a restoration decision. The scabbard is painted black; the paint well-worn and old. I am considering removing the paint and re-polishing the metal. I only want to do this, however, if that paint was put on by a later collector. If it's likely that the paint dates from the sword’s period of service, I’ll leave it. Do any of you experts know of any reason that the scabbard would have been painted in service? I know many of these 1845/55 blades were re-issued in World War One. Could it have been painted then, by a soldier who didn’t wish to be “shiny” in trench warfare? Or is it likely just a later collector doing something ill-advised? By a seller wishing to hide a mismatched piece? Did these things ever get painted in service? I’d be grateful for any thoughts and opinions. -Ron
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Feb 6, 2022 9:14:17 GMT
I think the letter type and spacing are the same, so the numbering on the scabbard seems genuine. Though the French never painted the scabbards, the 1914 situation may have changed this attitude. There should be an Ordonnance about this somewhere if it was regulated, though there is nothing stopping an NCO doing a paint job in times of war. After all they rusted their scabbards too whenever the situation called for it. To me the flaking and the entire surface looks okay. Very nice actually. In your second picture I see a little stamp on the knob of the ring mount. Cannot make out this stamp but it should be from a controleur at Chatellerault. There could be another on the mouth cover plate and on the drag. If the blade fits this scabbard well there is no reason to suggest the scabbard is of a later date and/or spurious. To me, the package looks okay and you could leave it as is, clean the dust and lose stuff off and wax it with Ren wax. Could sand it down to ,,Brilliant'', as preferred by the French collecting community, but this old skin is in a way pleasing to my eye at least. Gives the package some character. Brilliant scabbards come a dime a dozen. Clean the dirt off and wax is what I should do. It all is part of the history of the sabre. Some clean cloths with some turpentine so as not to disturb the old paint (which acetone would do) should take off much of old grease. White spirit can work too. A small brush drenched in white spirit to get into the nooks and crannies. Let it all dry and wax. Such an old skin can be very pleasing to the eye once it is neatly conserved and the wax polished out.
Cheers.
Edit:: I would not make too much out of the scabbard having just one bracelet and some ,,by the book'' dates. Sometimes Officers made changes to their equipment years before Staff released an Ordonnance on the subject.
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Post by tuthmose on Feb 6, 2022 12:56:53 GMT
Thank you Uhlan, for sharing your expertise. I do honestly like the black look, so I think I will do as you suggest and preserve it. I wish these old blade could talk - it would be fascinating to know how it ended up as it has!
-Ron
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Post by pellius on Feb 6, 2022 15:37:42 GMT
Congratulations on a beautiful sword. Fwiw, I like the look of your scabbard, too. It looks storied rather than neglected. Nice.
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