Sword Showcase
Jul 29, 2023 10:04:13 GMT
Post by jimmythedonut on Jul 29, 2023 10:04:13 GMT
Hi guys, I feel bad I always forget to post here, mostly cause I find having to resize my photos vs just uploading them to the IASC page a pain in the butt but I digress.
After 3 years I wanted to show off the state of the collection so far! Definitely dont have the best spending habits but oh well. I couldnt have gotten here without you guys! Everything is numbered and annotated, photos might be a bit small so please click on them to see them larger. If you have any questions about specific models please don't hesitate to reach out and I can provide more photos and measurements! Enjoy!
British Sabres:
1. 1796 Heavy Cav-ish officers dress sword with a cut down rapier blade or custom smallsword blade either by Tomas de Ayala or a clone. very light and flexible but still a very deadly smallsword type dueling blade.
2. Patent Hilt 1892 Connaught Rangers sword by Wilkinson, looking for a VR cypher brass guard for this one stiull, please dm if found. Owned by Osmond Donald Blunt, a long research project will be completed upon finishing the sword restoration (made a few mistakes but it was my first high end restoration project), many many personal writings were found.
3. 1845 pattern Infantry Officers sword by Wilkinson, rehilted from an Artillery sword upon change of branch, owned by Major General James Waterhouse
4. Patent Hilt Rifles Officers sword made by Reeves for the Staffordshire Yeomanry
6. Unknown Pillin Royal Artillery sword
7. Wilkinson Infantry sword owned by Matthew Skinner Smith, Colonial Secretary of Western Australia. Hilt was changed when he went rto Australia as part of the corrections department (who used 2 bar hilts)
8. Mystery Crimean War era thurkle Royal Artillery sword. Blade is plain past the ricasso, guard is brass. Grip has the bulbous form of earlier ones. A mystery for another day perhaps?
9. Wilkinson Patent Hilt Hex Proof Royal Artillery sword owned by Giles Bulteel Daubeney, a veritable character and 2 time DSO winner.
10. Mystery Wilkinson hex Proof royal artillery sabre, purchaser was not owner, marked to ISD.
11. 1853 Troopers Cavalry sword, maker not known, got it for free, cannot complain
12. Pillin made light Cavalry sword presented to Garrad Baker (retailed by Hamburger Rogers & Co) as part of the of the West Essex Yeomanry
13. 1821 pattern Heavy Cavalry sword with a svelte 32.5"/infantry sized blade. Maker unknown
14. 1896 pattern Patent Hilt by Wilkinson to an Edward Claude Baverstock Merriman of the 6th Dragoons and later the COldstream Guards. Guard is drilled for a hilt liner. Curiously, the sword is HEAVILY damaged and his service in the Coldstream Guards is the only combat serivce of his I can find. Some of the nicest etching I've ever seen on a British sabre.
15. Mole made pattern 1892 Household Cavalry troopers sword.
16. Hex Proof Wilkinson made 1912 cavalry officers sword. Officer unknown.
17. Unknown maker 1796 Infantry officers Spadroon.
18. Pilliin made 1845 Patent Hilt officers sabre, officer currently unknown but maybe the platonic ideal of a fine fluid sabre with excellent taper that feels almost weightless in the hand.
19. Pillin made 1892 pattern Rifles Officers sword, no officer known.
20. Wilkinson made Field Officer thistle hilt for Col. Harry McMicking, who led the 2nd bn Royal Scots into battle at Mons. Wounded and taken prisoner until nearly the end of the war, it is nevertheless the sword of someone who fought valiantly holding the rearguard which helped give the British time to retreat further.
21. Royal Engineers officers sword made by Pillin. A BEAST of a blade, 1kg/82cm, near mint blade, no officer known. Hilt, backstrap and scabbard all polished with the same mixture to get rid of the former owners idiotic usage of brasso, but they all came out differently, the hilt looks borderline rose gold, maybe the prettiest sword I've ever seen.
22. Bizarre Crimean War era sword maybe made by Pillin. Purchased by one George Malcolm Pasley of the Turkish Contingent, aide de camp to General Michel. Why the hilt is steel but PAINTED gold with the blue fittings is anyones guess. Pasley later served during the Indian Mutiny and had a bit of a mental breakdown before dying of fever nearly recovering from his PTSD. Quite sad.
23. Army Service Corps sword from WWI, I dont recall the officers initials but IIRC a Major in charge of training. One of the ones made by Sheffield makers, I do believe these cutlers started out as scissor makers?
24. Patent Hilt Crimean War era officer's sword made by Wilkinson, owned by an Archibald Hamilton Bell, again died quite young at age 29. More research needed.
25. Wilkinson patent hilt royal artillery sword owned by a Col. Ralph Longstaff. Another WWI vet, he won the new years DSO in 1916 but far more interestingly, was one of the initial officers to be awarded a Knighthood into the Legion of Honor for the actions furing the first months of the war. Cannot find a citation yet, those with more experience in French Archival research are welcome to give me adfice here.
26. Quite bizarre Wooley & Sargent (but no Fairfax) 1821 troopers cavalry sword. Potential hypotheses include a gap in business arrangements where this stamp was used but so far nothing solid.
27. Indian Mutiny era Wilkinson made 1821 Light Cavalry sword. Owner unknown per ledgers. Blade is a BEEFY 36" long, a real beast of a combat sword.
28. Pillin made 1821 Light Cavalry officer's sword, blade is very straight and about 92cm, wish the POB was further back as its a bit too blade heavy.
29. Pillin Made 1821/45 Heavy Cavalry officer's sword. A well made serviceable example of a great officer's War Sword.
30. 1896 Heavy/Universal Cavalry officers sword made by Wilkinson to one Col John Higson Hayes. Appears spec ifically in Richard Dellar's book on British Cavalry sword. Glad I rescued this one, the owner led a quite interesting life, marred by an early career controversy during the 2nd Boer War but led the Welsh soldiers under his command into some of the heaviest fighting of the war. Including Ypres, Passchendaele, and the 100 days offensive and went over the top on raids with his men.
31. Mole made pattern 1882 Household Cavalry sword
Swiss Sabres:
1. NCO sabre
2. 1817/30 troopers sabre
3. Peter Kull made 1842/1852 cav officers sword, some absolute mouth breathing drooling moron took a dremel to the blade and scant etching remains, along with varnish to the hilt and a loose blade. Still, feels good in the hand.
4. Addt'l 1842/52 Cav Officers sword, also feels wonderful
5. 1867 Infantry Officers Sabre
6. 1867 Cavalry Officers Sabre
7. Additional Swiss 1867 Cavalry Officer's sword
8. 1896/02 troopers cavalry sabre
9. 1899 infantry officers sabre with a type II blade
10. 1899 infantry officer's gala sabre
11. ~1800-1830 ish infantry hanger
12. 1817/1830 Infantry officer's spadroon
13. 1842/52 Infantry Officers sword with a beautiful gilded and etched blade with a shining swiss cross surrounded by a golden sunburst.
14. 1842/52 troopers cavalry sabre
15. 1867 Infantry Officers sabre
16. 1867 Troopers Cavalry sabre
17. 1867 Cavalry Officers Sabre
18. 1896/02 Troopers sabre with a WWI era cord wrap sealed w/ wax
19. 1899 Infantry Officers sabre with a type I blade
20. 1899 Infantry Officer's sabre with WWI era leather covering and leather wrap on the scabbard and hilt
Swedish Sabre:
1. ~1820s-1830s Swedish Spadroon for Jean Bernadotte's reign. Hilt is beautiful and retains most gilding. Sword was etched but so faded I had to work hard to restore it. Owned by 1 CS Sandels, who apparently might have been Danish as a friend has said his own research confirmed he was awarded the Dannebrog Cross.
2. 1870s ish Infantry Officer's sword. A diamond shaped thrusting blade is a little less stiff than I'd like but otherwise a very deadly blade. Decorative but non personalized etching and bluing down the first half.
3. 1889 Artillery Sabre. ALmost a medieval arming sword, I love this sword more than I have any right. Quite a big guard relative to the blade but it feels wonderful and adorable in the hand.
4. Mystery 1825 Sabre, blade in bad condition, scabbard does not match.
5. A Swedish 1864(?) cavalry sword. Beast.
6. 1893 troopers cavalry sabre
7. 1893 Officers cavalry sabre
8. 1899 Infantry Officer sword. Blegh. Makes you miss the 1889 IOD or the 1899 Swiss, at least you can marginally use those in combat.
9. 1859 Damask Officers sabre, almost the same as what is posted on here, no cypher on the blade sadly. Need to re-etch this one.
10. What I have learned is basically an 1889 Artillery sword with a leftover blade that was used for training. A little bird on my shoulder wants to regrind the tip and make a real blade out of it
11. 1831 mounted artillery sabre. Not quite as large as the other on here but still a beast.
12. 1867 troopers cavalry sabre. Also a beast, good lord remind me never to piss off a Swede!
13. Another 1893 troopers sword, I love these things
French sabres:
1. 1896 Cavalry sword. I fully recognise that it is a glorified spadroon but its quite beautiful regardless. The blade shows service sharpening filework, and it was made in 1914. Let's hope this brave officer survived.
2. 1855 Dragoons officers sabre, thank you Pino for this one, I do wish the blade was a bit more stiff.
3. 1829 Mounted Artillery sword, quite a cute little piece, thank you again Pino!
4. Custom North African officers sword. A proto pre-1882 type of blade but much more thick distal wise, fullers run deep, a sabre shaped tuck, would not want to be on the receiving end of this. Light Cavalry pattern guard with shagreen. Pretty cool!
5. Hands down my single favorite FEELING sword in my collection. Another custom. Take the idea of the 1882 blade shape, make it the size of a Swedish 1893. 35mmx8mmx950mm, this thing is 950 grams and you wouldn't know it. Lacks the "downward" impetus of sabres, feels more like a longsword. Profile is a diamond with the offset fullers. A beautiful beast of a sword that feels like it wants to cut almost as much as it is a true hand lance. The thinness of the profile + the offset fullers make me genuinely curious how it'd cut
6. BALP 1882 blade, wimpy, meh. My other 1882 is on loan right now, I do want to get one that isnt bad but I keep getting bad luck with them.
7. Very lightweight 1822 pattern? I can faintly make out etching, blade is ~92cm long, no idea but it almost feels like an old school cossack or hussar sabre? We shall see.
8. 1855 Infantry junior officer sword. My first proper blade clean. Way too rattly in the hilt, no makers marks. I love it anyways.
Italian Sabres:
1. House of Savoy/Kingdom of Italy dress sword
2. 1833 Mounted Artillery sabre
3. 1855 Infantry officer's sword with a Wilkinson style fuller+diamond shaped foible blade, feels much more "warlike" than my others.
4. 1855 Infantry officer's sword with a light and whippy dueling blade, 1 langet is spring loaded and latches in to a hole on the scabbard, really cool, a good dueling sword though I dont know if it'd survive trench warfare lol.
5. 1855/88 rehilted (makers name changed before 1888 so we know the blade predates it), again a very light and lethal blade, perfect for the Radaelli/Del Frate/Barbasetti school that I do.
German Sabres:
1. Saxony court sword, my first antique, gotten in fall 2017 when i went back to college.
2. Fusiliers officer's sword, blanking on the unit but its nothing special to me.
3. A VERY VERY VERY rare weird NCO artillery sword. With a formerly gilded handle (has been patina'd and rusted over in parts but you can see parts remaining) and a blue and gilded damask'd blade. Have seen many Grosser Degens, we all have, but never an NCO sword this nice. A gift from the officers in 1898-1899, cant find a source for the officers to trace unit yet. Have reached out to museums and they have no idea either. Still, for the ~700 I got it for, it's almost a Free Sword ticket if I ever sell it for how rare it is.
4. Hessian Bezirksfeldwebel sabre. Very thin Alex Coppel sword but feels weirdly nice in the hand. Heavier and meatier than it really is, but is well made and pristine.
5. Bizarre whoopsies 1889 cavalry sword, have posted this one before, guard appears to have been put on upside down and cut off, with what WAS the left hand part of the guard now on the right side. A prototype of offering SOME hand protection in between the original pattern and the "export" pattern? Who knows. Proof stamps and service sharpening make it even more interesting.
6. IIRC this is an 1855 Bavarian infantry officers sword. Blade is a whopping 88-89cm long, and the sword weighs close to 950 grams or so. Whats even weirder is it was made in NINETEEN SIXTEEN (1916) per the stamps. So some young Bavarian 2nd lt gets out of training, in the worst damned year of the war trench warfare wise, and decides he needs a god damned cavalry sword sized infantry sword. God bless him I would buy him a beer lol
1 off and Mystery Sabres:
1. US M1913 Patton sabre, made by Springfield in 1914, about as legit as they come. Still, I must confess to being an American who can respect the look of it even if I think it is one of the worst swords I own. Way too heavy, hate the grip, the POB is too far forward IMO. It's the "spadroon" of cavalry swords in the worst ways. Too forward weighted to be a good Hand Lance, but too thin and overall heavy to cut well. Just move the weight back to the hand more or just use the Swedish 1893 blade. I applaud the creativity but man I HATE this sabre.
2. Genuine mystery sword. Thinking ~mid 19th century north german? No idea, no markings anywhere.
3. Portuguese 19something sword. Toledo blade, a bit too flexy towards the tip, but kinda cool if heavy.
4. (ignore that it says 5) Belgian Senior NCO sabre. The length of an infantry officer but to a Regimental Armourer. A well made blade and some fantastically elaborate casting, like a French 1845 with another row of floral stuff. Very nice if slightly heavy.
5. Mystery sword, appears to be a smallsword with the knuckleguard and other parts removed. Was 90 euros, cant complain. Casting and wire grip w/ the brass over wires make it beautiful.
6. Spanish cavalry officers sabre. I love the sword model in theory but mine is WAYYY too pitted, got semprinied on Ebay. I found some articles on the Puerto Seguro that does indicate the stamp on the ricasso was for officers and not troopers. Would like to get another one tbh.
7. Chilean sabre. Blade lengths vary but mine has a 34" blade. One of the most underrated swords of the era. And for a blade with a fuller on the spine near the tip, it runs circles around the Puerto Seguro AND the French 1896 because it actually feels robust enough to thrust/cut from horseback without breaking in half.
8. A Wilkinson made Egyptian Contract French 1822. I got this for a disgustingly good steal. Not the best sword but it feels so nice and is just a well made troopers sword, plus with shagreen and wire. A bit heavy but man is this nice.
9. Mystery ~1800s-1830s Germanish cavalry sabre. Long blade despite its light weight, very curious and fun to swing around!
If you have any questions or comments please let me know! Thanks for reading I hope to post more soon!
After 3 years I wanted to show off the state of the collection so far! Definitely dont have the best spending habits but oh well. I couldnt have gotten here without you guys! Everything is numbered and annotated, photos might be a bit small so please click on them to see them larger. If you have any questions about specific models please don't hesitate to reach out and I can provide more photos and measurements! Enjoy!
British Sabres:
1. 1796 Heavy Cav-ish officers dress sword with a cut down rapier blade or custom smallsword blade either by Tomas de Ayala or a clone. very light and flexible but still a very deadly smallsword type dueling blade.
2. Patent Hilt 1892 Connaught Rangers sword by Wilkinson, looking for a VR cypher brass guard for this one stiull, please dm if found. Owned by Osmond Donald Blunt, a long research project will be completed upon finishing the sword restoration (made a few mistakes but it was my first high end restoration project), many many personal writings were found.
3. 1845 pattern Infantry Officers sword by Wilkinson, rehilted from an Artillery sword upon change of branch, owned by Major General James Waterhouse
4. Patent Hilt Rifles Officers sword made by Reeves for the Staffordshire Yeomanry
6. Unknown Pillin Royal Artillery sword
7. Wilkinson Infantry sword owned by Matthew Skinner Smith, Colonial Secretary of Western Australia. Hilt was changed when he went rto Australia as part of the corrections department (who used 2 bar hilts)
8. Mystery Crimean War era thurkle Royal Artillery sword. Blade is plain past the ricasso, guard is brass. Grip has the bulbous form of earlier ones. A mystery for another day perhaps?
9. Wilkinson Patent Hilt Hex Proof Royal Artillery sword owned by Giles Bulteel Daubeney, a veritable character and 2 time DSO winner.
10. Mystery Wilkinson hex Proof royal artillery sabre, purchaser was not owner, marked to ISD.
11. 1853 Troopers Cavalry sword, maker not known, got it for free, cannot complain
12. Pillin made light Cavalry sword presented to Garrad Baker (retailed by Hamburger Rogers & Co) as part of the of the West Essex Yeomanry
13. 1821 pattern Heavy Cavalry sword with a svelte 32.5"/infantry sized blade. Maker unknown
14. 1896 pattern Patent Hilt by Wilkinson to an Edward Claude Baverstock Merriman of the 6th Dragoons and later the COldstream Guards. Guard is drilled for a hilt liner. Curiously, the sword is HEAVILY damaged and his service in the Coldstream Guards is the only combat serivce of his I can find. Some of the nicest etching I've ever seen on a British sabre.
15. Mole made pattern 1892 Household Cavalry troopers sword.
16. Hex Proof Wilkinson made 1912 cavalry officers sword. Officer unknown.
17. Unknown maker 1796 Infantry officers Spadroon.
18. Pilliin made 1845 Patent Hilt officers sabre, officer currently unknown but maybe the platonic ideal of a fine fluid sabre with excellent taper that feels almost weightless in the hand.
19. Pillin made 1892 pattern Rifles Officers sword, no officer known.
20. Wilkinson made Field Officer thistle hilt for Col. Harry McMicking, who led the 2nd bn Royal Scots into battle at Mons. Wounded and taken prisoner until nearly the end of the war, it is nevertheless the sword of someone who fought valiantly holding the rearguard which helped give the British time to retreat further.
21. Royal Engineers officers sword made by Pillin. A BEAST of a blade, 1kg/82cm, near mint blade, no officer known. Hilt, backstrap and scabbard all polished with the same mixture to get rid of the former owners idiotic usage of brasso, but they all came out differently, the hilt looks borderline rose gold, maybe the prettiest sword I've ever seen.
22. Bizarre Crimean War era sword maybe made by Pillin. Purchased by one George Malcolm Pasley of the Turkish Contingent, aide de camp to General Michel. Why the hilt is steel but PAINTED gold with the blue fittings is anyones guess. Pasley later served during the Indian Mutiny and had a bit of a mental breakdown before dying of fever nearly recovering from his PTSD. Quite sad.
23. Army Service Corps sword from WWI, I dont recall the officers initials but IIRC a Major in charge of training. One of the ones made by Sheffield makers, I do believe these cutlers started out as scissor makers?
24. Patent Hilt Crimean War era officer's sword made by Wilkinson, owned by an Archibald Hamilton Bell, again died quite young at age 29. More research needed.
25. Wilkinson patent hilt royal artillery sword owned by a Col. Ralph Longstaff. Another WWI vet, he won the new years DSO in 1916 but far more interestingly, was one of the initial officers to be awarded a Knighthood into the Legion of Honor for the actions furing the first months of the war. Cannot find a citation yet, those with more experience in French Archival research are welcome to give me adfice here.
26. Quite bizarre Wooley & Sargent (but no Fairfax) 1821 troopers cavalry sword. Potential hypotheses include a gap in business arrangements where this stamp was used but so far nothing solid.
27. Indian Mutiny era Wilkinson made 1821 Light Cavalry sword. Owner unknown per ledgers. Blade is a BEEFY 36" long, a real beast of a combat sword.
28. Pillin made 1821 Light Cavalry officer's sword, blade is very straight and about 92cm, wish the POB was further back as its a bit too blade heavy.
29. Pillin Made 1821/45 Heavy Cavalry officer's sword. A well made serviceable example of a great officer's War Sword.
30. 1896 Heavy/Universal Cavalry officers sword made by Wilkinson to one Col John Higson Hayes. Appears spec ifically in Richard Dellar's book on British Cavalry sword. Glad I rescued this one, the owner led a quite interesting life, marred by an early career controversy during the 2nd Boer War but led the Welsh soldiers under his command into some of the heaviest fighting of the war. Including Ypres, Passchendaele, and the 100 days offensive and went over the top on raids with his men.
31. Mole made pattern 1882 Household Cavalry sword
Swiss Sabres:
1. NCO sabre
2. 1817/30 troopers sabre
3. Peter Kull made 1842/1852 cav officers sword, some absolute mouth breathing drooling moron took a dremel to the blade and scant etching remains, along with varnish to the hilt and a loose blade. Still, feels good in the hand.
4. Addt'l 1842/52 Cav Officers sword, also feels wonderful
5. 1867 Infantry Officers Sabre
6. 1867 Cavalry Officers Sabre
7. Additional Swiss 1867 Cavalry Officer's sword
8. 1896/02 troopers cavalry sabre
9. 1899 infantry officers sabre with a type II blade
10. 1899 infantry officer's gala sabre
11. ~1800-1830 ish infantry hanger
12. 1817/1830 Infantry officer's spadroon
13. 1842/52 Infantry Officers sword with a beautiful gilded and etched blade with a shining swiss cross surrounded by a golden sunburst.
14. 1842/52 troopers cavalry sabre
15. 1867 Infantry Officers sabre
16. 1867 Troopers Cavalry sabre
17. 1867 Cavalry Officers Sabre
18. 1896/02 Troopers sabre with a WWI era cord wrap sealed w/ wax
19. 1899 Infantry Officers sabre with a type I blade
20. 1899 Infantry Officer's sabre with WWI era leather covering and leather wrap on the scabbard and hilt
Swedish Sabre:
1. ~1820s-1830s Swedish Spadroon for Jean Bernadotte's reign. Hilt is beautiful and retains most gilding. Sword was etched but so faded I had to work hard to restore it. Owned by 1 CS Sandels, who apparently might have been Danish as a friend has said his own research confirmed he was awarded the Dannebrog Cross.
2. 1870s ish Infantry Officer's sword. A diamond shaped thrusting blade is a little less stiff than I'd like but otherwise a very deadly blade. Decorative but non personalized etching and bluing down the first half.
3. 1889 Artillery Sabre. ALmost a medieval arming sword, I love this sword more than I have any right. Quite a big guard relative to the blade but it feels wonderful and adorable in the hand.
4. Mystery 1825 Sabre, blade in bad condition, scabbard does not match.
5. A Swedish 1864(?) cavalry sword. Beast.
6. 1893 troopers cavalry sabre
7. 1893 Officers cavalry sabre
8. 1899 Infantry Officer sword. Blegh. Makes you miss the 1889 IOD or the 1899 Swiss, at least you can marginally use those in combat.
9. 1859 Damask Officers sabre, almost the same as what is posted on here, no cypher on the blade sadly. Need to re-etch this one.
10. What I have learned is basically an 1889 Artillery sword with a leftover blade that was used for training. A little bird on my shoulder wants to regrind the tip and make a real blade out of it
11. 1831 mounted artillery sabre. Not quite as large as the other on here but still a beast.
12. 1867 troopers cavalry sabre. Also a beast, good lord remind me never to piss off a Swede!
13. Another 1893 troopers sword, I love these things
French sabres:
1. 1896 Cavalry sword. I fully recognise that it is a glorified spadroon but its quite beautiful regardless. The blade shows service sharpening filework, and it was made in 1914. Let's hope this brave officer survived.
2. 1855 Dragoons officers sabre, thank you Pino for this one, I do wish the blade was a bit more stiff.
3. 1829 Mounted Artillery sword, quite a cute little piece, thank you again Pino!
4. Custom North African officers sword. A proto pre-1882 type of blade but much more thick distal wise, fullers run deep, a sabre shaped tuck, would not want to be on the receiving end of this. Light Cavalry pattern guard with shagreen. Pretty cool!
5. Hands down my single favorite FEELING sword in my collection. Another custom. Take the idea of the 1882 blade shape, make it the size of a Swedish 1893. 35mmx8mmx950mm, this thing is 950 grams and you wouldn't know it. Lacks the "downward" impetus of sabres, feels more like a longsword. Profile is a diamond with the offset fullers. A beautiful beast of a sword that feels like it wants to cut almost as much as it is a true hand lance. The thinness of the profile + the offset fullers make me genuinely curious how it'd cut
6. BALP 1882 blade, wimpy, meh. My other 1882 is on loan right now, I do want to get one that isnt bad but I keep getting bad luck with them.
7. Very lightweight 1822 pattern? I can faintly make out etching, blade is ~92cm long, no idea but it almost feels like an old school cossack or hussar sabre? We shall see.
8. 1855 Infantry junior officer sword. My first proper blade clean. Way too rattly in the hilt, no makers marks. I love it anyways.
Italian Sabres:
1. House of Savoy/Kingdom of Italy dress sword
2. 1833 Mounted Artillery sabre
3. 1855 Infantry officer's sword with a Wilkinson style fuller+diamond shaped foible blade, feels much more "warlike" than my others.
4. 1855 Infantry officer's sword with a light and whippy dueling blade, 1 langet is spring loaded and latches in to a hole on the scabbard, really cool, a good dueling sword though I dont know if it'd survive trench warfare lol.
5. 1855/88 rehilted (makers name changed before 1888 so we know the blade predates it), again a very light and lethal blade, perfect for the Radaelli/Del Frate/Barbasetti school that I do.
German Sabres:
1. Saxony court sword, my first antique, gotten in fall 2017 when i went back to college.
2. Fusiliers officer's sword, blanking on the unit but its nothing special to me.
3. A VERY VERY VERY rare weird NCO artillery sword. With a formerly gilded handle (has been patina'd and rusted over in parts but you can see parts remaining) and a blue and gilded damask'd blade. Have seen many Grosser Degens, we all have, but never an NCO sword this nice. A gift from the officers in 1898-1899, cant find a source for the officers to trace unit yet. Have reached out to museums and they have no idea either. Still, for the ~700 I got it for, it's almost a Free Sword ticket if I ever sell it for how rare it is.
4. Hessian Bezirksfeldwebel sabre. Very thin Alex Coppel sword but feels weirdly nice in the hand. Heavier and meatier than it really is, but is well made and pristine.
5. Bizarre whoopsies 1889 cavalry sword, have posted this one before, guard appears to have been put on upside down and cut off, with what WAS the left hand part of the guard now on the right side. A prototype of offering SOME hand protection in between the original pattern and the "export" pattern? Who knows. Proof stamps and service sharpening make it even more interesting.
6. IIRC this is an 1855 Bavarian infantry officers sword. Blade is a whopping 88-89cm long, and the sword weighs close to 950 grams or so. Whats even weirder is it was made in NINETEEN SIXTEEN (1916) per the stamps. So some young Bavarian 2nd lt gets out of training, in the worst damned year of the war trench warfare wise, and decides he needs a god damned cavalry sword sized infantry sword. God bless him I would buy him a beer lol
1 off and Mystery Sabres:
1. US M1913 Patton sabre, made by Springfield in 1914, about as legit as they come. Still, I must confess to being an American who can respect the look of it even if I think it is one of the worst swords I own. Way too heavy, hate the grip, the POB is too far forward IMO. It's the "spadroon" of cavalry swords in the worst ways. Too forward weighted to be a good Hand Lance, but too thin and overall heavy to cut well. Just move the weight back to the hand more or just use the Swedish 1893 blade. I applaud the creativity but man I HATE this sabre.
2. Genuine mystery sword. Thinking ~mid 19th century north german? No idea, no markings anywhere.
3. Portuguese 19something sword. Toledo blade, a bit too flexy towards the tip, but kinda cool if heavy.
4. (ignore that it says 5) Belgian Senior NCO sabre. The length of an infantry officer but to a Regimental Armourer. A well made blade and some fantastically elaborate casting, like a French 1845 with another row of floral stuff. Very nice if slightly heavy.
5. Mystery sword, appears to be a smallsword with the knuckleguard and other parts removed. Was 90 euros, cant complain. Casting and wire grip w/ the brass over wires make it beautiful.
6. Spanish cavalry officers sabre. I love the sword model in theory but mine is WAYYY too pitted, got semprinied on Ebay. I found some articles on the Puerto Seguro that does indicate the stamp on the ricasso was for officers and not troopers. Would like to get another one tbh.
7. Chilean sabre. Blade lengths vary but mine has a 34" blade. One of the most underrated swords of the era. And for a blade with a fuller on the spine near the tip, it runs circles around the Puerto Seguro AND the French 1896 because it actually feels robust enough to thrust/cut from horseback without breaking in half.
8. A Wilkinson made Egyptian Contract French 1822. I got this for a disgustingly good steal. Not the best sword but it feels so nice and is just a well made troopers sword, plus with shagreen and wire. A bit heavy but man is this nice.
9. Mystery ~1800s-1830s Germanish cavalry sabre. Long blade despite its light weight, very curious and fun to swing around!
If you have any questions or comments please let me know! Thanks for reading I hope to post more soon!
