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Nation : British
Local Price : £2800

English Silver Hilted Hunting Sword by Thomas Bass of the City of London hallmarked for 1742/3. An attractive English silver mounted hunting sword with London Hallmarks for the year 1742 /1743, made by the silver smith and cutler, Thomas Bass of The City of London. The hilt is of exceptional quality and condition applied with fine decorative panels of masks and foliage. During the 17th and 18th centuries, when swords were a popular weapon for gentlemen, hunting swords and hangers were a robust, shorter, secondary side arm used for self defence when walking about town and travelling in general. Although referred to as “hunting” weapons, they probably had minimal use in hunting. Self defence in crowded areas, and in the tight confines of dangerous alleyways in cities, required a weapon which was shorter than a full length sword for close-in use in these confined spaces. The high quality hunting sword described here was a gentleman's weapon. The knuckle bow towards the pommel is stamped with “T B” in raised relief inside a depressed panel on the convex curve of the bar. This mark is most certainly that of the London cutler and hilt maker Thomas Bass recorded by him at Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1720. Marks for the Lion Passant royal standard and the Leopard's Head silver standard mark plus the date stamp lie alongside. The most distinctive feature of this sword hilt is the large convex scallop-shaped shell guard which emanates from the cross guard and extends parallel to the blade towards its point. Inside the moulded border the wild staring face of a “Green Man” has been applied with fans of feathers each side and on top. Above this the cross guard is decorated in the middle in raised relief each side with the mask of a lion. The cross guard terminates in a flattened downward facing disc-like wristguard decorated with foliage. To the front the well formed knuckle bow extends from the cross guard to terminate in a flattened leafy scroll each side and an extension which secures the top of the bow into the pommel front. Mid way along the knuckle bow a swelling appears decorated on each side with a feathered fan similar to those which surround the Green Man mask on the shell guard. The grip is of shaped fluted horn which narrows from the top towards its base where it is secured with a silver ferrule engraved with the same feathered fan on each side. The backplate of the grip and the pommel are formed from a single shaped piece of silver. Towards the pommel the plate is decorated with a further grotesquely grimacing Green Man and a further feathered fan on top and decorous foliage and scrolls on the pommel. A pronounced ribbed pommel button protrudes from the top. The Celtic “Green Man” has origins in English folklore. These grotesque, bearded, wild-eyed faces are often carved on English weapons of the 17th and 18th centuries. As well as on weapons, the Green Man is depicted in medieval English churches carved on fonts, pillars and lintels. In history the Green Man appeared in traditional springtime rural village fetes and ceremonies as a symbol of growth and fertility for the coming farming season. The figure, dressed in green garlands, was exhibited then sacrificed by ritual decapitation, hence the appearance of the head separated from the body in later designs. The roots of the ceremony lie in Pagan England and the practice was so embedded in rural communities that it survived into the Christian era. Embedded with the ideal of “renewal” the Green Man may have been thought to embody some form of spiritual protection for the owner then later became more of a “good luck” charm in the 17th and 18th centuries as it appears on the sword discussed here. The straight single edged gently tapering blade is 22.25 inches (56.5 cm) long and of the highest quality. It is most likely of Solingen manufacture. It has two pronounced fullers. One extends from the hilt underneath the spine for 17 inches after which the blade becomes double edged to its pointed tip. The second fuller extends from the hilt underneath the first to the tip. On each side the upper fuller is stamped with individual letters which form the name ANDRIA with FARARA in the fuller beneath, each flanked by symmetrical arrangements of quatrefoils of dots, orb and cross marks, stars and the letter “S” repeatedly. A feature of the lives of London silver hilted sword makers of the 18th century was that talent in working with silver was not necessarily a guarantee of commercial success. To succeed they also needed business acumen. Some silversmiths were very successful and became wealthy men. However, the records show that many talented silversmiths, evidenced by the quality of their surviving works, lived a sparse existence and sometimes ended their lives in penury. Thomas Bass seems to have one such unfortunate case. Thomas is recorded from 1701 to 1760 as a silver hilt maker and sword cutler. He was indentured to the profession by the cutler Joseph Reason for seven years and sworn “free” of the Cutlers' Company on 15th April 1708, after which he is recorded as working in Fetter Lane in the City of London where he remained for the next 50 years and registered his first mark. He indentured his one known apprentice, Isaac Stewart, in 1712, and registered his second (Sterling) mark in 1720. On 5th October 1721 the Court of Assistants of the Cutlers' Company excused Thomas from taking livery due to his “mean” circumstances. A year later he was excused again: “Thomas Bass being sumon'd did not appear but several Members knowing him to be poor the Court doth think fit to excuse him till he is in better Circumstances”. It seems that Thomas struggled with poverty all his life and spent his last years in a workhouse to be buried at St Andrew's Church, Holborn, on 22nd February 1760. The above reference work borrows from Leslie Southwick 2001, p.41. The maker’s mark, which was his second mark, can be seen in Grimwade reference 2685. The total length is 27.75 inches (70.5 cm).

Nation : British
Local Price : £2800

Fine English Silver Hilted Small Sword by John Radborn of the City of London Hallmarked for 1764 / 1765. A very fine English silver hilted small sword by John Radborn of London with hallmarks for 1764 / 1765. The hilt is mounted with a dish guard which is exquisitely pierced and chased with rococo foliate scrolls and multi pointed florets. This design theme is common to the other major silver components of the hilt which attests to the originality and homogeneity of the parts. The scabbard is mounted with silver fittings. The hollow ground colichemarde blade is of typical triangular section. The sword is well-balanced in hand and in excellent condition without damage or repair. The sword is an example of the high standards of design and execution required of the 18th century London silversmith as well as an example of one of the most effective weapons of the 17th and 18th centuries. Silver hilted small swords evolved from earlier rapiers and were fashionable attire for gentlemen. Mostly worn for effect, someone wearing one was also announcing to the world that he was able to use it. Despite the stylish and often delicate appearance of these swords they were formidable dueling weapons. The sword hilt is in excellent crisp condition without losses or repairs and has maintained its original pleasing profile. The shallow dish guard has a strengthened rim shaped as four crescents on the outside which supports the exquisitely pierced and chased delicate and intricate foliate designs within. The perimeter is raised with a continuous chain of diamond shaped links further strengthened in the middle front and back where the rim is thickened and engraved with foliate sprays. The ricasso, pas d’ ane rings, knuckle bow and pommel are pierced and chased in the same decorative style as the dish guard. The stamped maker's mark of “I R” is present on one side of the knucklebow near the pommel in raised relief inside a depressed rectangle, accompanied by the crowned leopard's head assay mark, the royal lion passant and date marks. The baluster shaped grip is covered with spirally wrapped bevelled silver strip, separated by wrapped silver twisted wire, flanked by thinner ropes on either side. Silver cap terminals are present top and bottom of the grip engraved with floral designs. The tapering, hollow ground, stiff, triangular section blade retains its original engraved foliate panels near the hilt. It is in fine condition with a shallow mottled grey patina and some age staining and light pitting. The scabbard has a wooden core bound with brown vellum. John Radborn worked in the New Street precinct of the City of London for all of his professional life. He is first recorded when he was indentured to the cutler Nathaniel Young in 1737. On the death of Young in 1742 he was turned over to John Smith for the remainder of his term and was sworn free of the Cutlers’ Company by servitude in 1745 when he probably entered his first mark at Goldsmiths Hall which is now lost. His first surviving mark was entered in 1762. On moving address in 1769 Radborn entered another mark which was very similar to the last to confirm the move. He was admitted as a pensioner of the Cutlers’ Company in 1776 and died in 1780. John Radborn was one of the most gifted silver hilt makers and sword cutlers of his time. For further information see “London Silver-Hilted Swords”, their makers, suppliers and allied traders, with directory, by Leslie Southwick, 2001, Royal Armouries, and particularly page 202 for the biography of John Radborn and examples of his work in plates 46, 66, 72-3, 74 and colour plate 3. The blade is 31.25 inches (just over 79.5 cm) long and the overall length of the sword is 38 inches (96.5 cm).

Nation : British
Local Price : £2775

Fine English Silver Hilted Small Sword by Joseph Clare (II) of London hallmarked for 1765 / 1766 retailed by Bennett.. A fine English silver hilted small sword by Joseph Clare of London with hallmarks for 1765 / 1766. The hilt is mounted with a dish guard which is exquisitely pierced and chased with rococo foliate scrolls and sprays between curling tendrils of filigree delicacy. The design is the common theme on the other silver components of the hilt and scabbard. The sword is well-balanced in hand and in excellent condition, having maintained its shape without damage or repair. The sword is mounted with a tapering hollow ground triangular section colichemarde blade. The scabbard is missing its lower portion but retains its original upper silver mounts with the name of the retailer stippled into the back of the mouthpiece. The sword hilt is in fine condition without losses or repairs and has maintained its original pleasing profile. The oval shaped shallow dish guard has a strengthened rim on the outside which supports the chased foliate designs within centred on the repeated theme of an eight petaled floret. The ricasso, pas d' ane rings, knuckle bow, quillon and pommel are pierced and chased in the same decorative style. The stamped maker's mark of CLARE is impressed on one side of the knucklebow near the pommel in raised relief inside a depressed panel accompanied by the crowned leopard's head assay mark, the royal lion passant purity and date marks. The baluster shaped rounded rectangular section grip is covered with spirally wrapped bevelled silver strip, separated by contra-twisted pairs of silver ropes, flanked by thinner ropes on either side. Silver cap terminals are present top and bottom of the grip engraved with scallops on each side. The stiff, tapering, hollow ground, blade is in fine condition and retains its original engraved foliate panels near the hilt. The hilt is an example of the high standards of design and execution required of the 18th century London silver hilt maker, as well as an example of one of the most effective weapons of the 17th and 18th centuries, which at this time was at the pinnacle of its evolution. Silver hilted small swords were fashionable attire for gentlemen. Mostly worn for effect, someone wearing one was also announcing to the world that he was able to use it. Despite the stylish and often delicate appearance of these swords they were formidable dueling weapons. Joseph Clare, the hiltmaker, is recorded from 1732-1771 as a silversmith and silver hilted sword hilt maker. His mark on this sword is “CLARE” which is one of a few marks produced by Clare and is represented in Grimwade mark number 358. His earlier marks were similar. He died in 1771. The firm of Bennett was formed by John Bennett (I) who was initially a silver hilted sword maker who was made free of the Cutlers’ Company in 1731 and registered his first silversmith’s mark in 1732. In 1746 Bennett was recorded at an address in Threadneedle Street in the City of London opposite the north gate of “Ye Royal Exchange”. Bennet diversified into jewellery, goldsmithing and gunmaking. Key to understanding this sword is that Bennett was also a cutler and retailer. In this respect as a cutler he would assemble parts of silver hilted swords, made both by himself and bought in from other silversmiths like Clare, into finished swords, and would also buy in completed swords to retail. As a result the hilt of this sword is stamped by Clare as the sword maker, and, the scabbard mouthpiece is engraved with: “Bennett & Son Royall Exchange” as the cutler / retailer. Bennett died in 1774 after which the business was taken over by his son John Bennett (II). For further information on Joseph Clare see Leslie Southwick “London Silver-Hilted Swords”, their makers, suppliers and allied traders, with directory, 2001, Royal Armouries, page 72 for the biography and examples of his work in black and white plates 53 and 61 plus colour plate 5. For further information on John Bennett see page 45. The blade is 31.75 inches (just under 81 cm) long and the overall length of the sword is just under 39 inches (just 98.5 cm).

Nation : British
Local Price : £2750

Late 17th century English Plug Bayonet dated 1691 dedicated to William III (William of Orange) and Queen Mary II. A fine English Plug Bayonet formed with a brass and hardwood hilt and a robust triangular section hollow ground blade dated 1691. It dates to the reign of William and Mary who became Protestant joint monarchs of Britain in 1689 after the deposition of the Catholic King James II and the exclusion of his heirs, and Roman Catholics in general, from the throne. A year after the Battle of the Boyne, 1691 marked the continuation of the Williamite War in Ireland against the Jacobite supporters of the exiled Stuart King, and their gradual defeat. This backdrop led to the Massacre of Glencoe a year later. 1691 also marks the defeat of English and Dutch forces by the French at the Battle of Leuze in the War of the Grand Alliance. The broadest face of the blade is engraved towards the hilt with a closed crown with the letters “W.R” incised underneath. Beneath this in the spaces between lateral cut lines is incised: “GOD SAVE KING WILLIAM AND QUEEN MARY” with a lighter engraving of “WMR” at the base – presumably for William & Mary Rex. On the reverse side on one side of the medial ridge an inscription beneath two stars and a crown reads firstly in flowing script: “W.R” and beneath this in block capitals: “ANNO DOMINI 1691” followed by the same lighter engraving of “WMR” at the base. The third face on the other side of the medial ridge is engraved with a stand of arms followed below by the third set of letters: “WMR” The characteristic turned hardwood grip is of rounded section tapering towards the pommel and has the typical swelling at the base. The mounts are of brass and consist of a thick oval quillon block with a faceted edge on which a downward curled clam shell guard is mounted. The round section horizontal quillons have swollen globular terminals. A brass washer sits between the wooden swelling of the grip and the quillon block. The pommel cap is formed with a middle band grooved above and below with the tang end peened on top. The quillon terminals, washer and pommel band are decorated in a consistent boldly gadrooned manner. The grip has a slightly uneven surface caused by it being rammed inside the muzzle of a musket then removed on numerous occasions during the life of the bayonet. The bayonet is in fine condition with an attractive dark patination to the hardwood grip and dark uncleaned colour to the brass mounts. The blade is 10 inches long (25.5 cm) and overall the bayonet is just over 15.25 inches (39 cm).

Nation : British
Local Price : £2,750.00

Scottish Horsemans Basket Hilted Broadsword. Scottish Horsemans Basket Hilted Broadsword c 1740 fitted with a later replacement blade c 1780. The basket with cone pommel and pierced with hearts and circles in the traditional form. The basket does show some age repairs please see images wooden ribbed grip. The blade double edged with central small fuller overall length 39 inch the blade 32.75 inch

Nation : French
Local Price : £2,700.00

French Marines Of Imperial Guard.... A French 1804-15 model, Marines sword of the Imperial Guard. Leather covered, wire bound grip with two piece brass hilt, showing engraved anchor to the

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : £3750.00

An Absolutely Beautiful 17th to 18th Century, Sino-Tibetan Noble's Sword Inlaid with Coral and Torqoise Cabochons, Silver Mounts, Rayskin and Traditional Batwing Engraving Throughout. 'Maiden's Hair' Steel Blade. Continually Used Into the19th Century. Likely the sword of a Chinese or Tibetan noble or high ranking warrior. A functional combat sword yet with elements of extravagant decor, that clearly shows to high status of its owner, during the early Qing also called Ching dynasty, that followed the late Ming dynasty. Only the third such sword we have acquired of this style and quality in the past twenty years Steel hilt with silver wire bound grip, stylised traditional Chinese batwing engraved pommel and steel edged mounting bands of the scabbard, the scabbard is panelled in giant rayskin, and a bottom chape panel in repousse silver metal, with decor of swirling winds, mounted with cabouchons of torqoise and coral to one side. The scabbard also has some silver wire re-enforced binding. This a most rare, beautiful and original antique Sino-Tibetan sword. The work was primarily created in its capital, also known as Derge, now located in Sichuan, China Old original Chinese antique arms very rarely survive, and now are generally only to be seen in the biggest and best museums in China. The fittings are very much in the form popular in the south to eastern region of the old Chinese empire in the Xizang province, and Eastern Tibet. This sword is a textbook representative example of the familiar Chinese form, well made and of good quality. The blade has traces still visible of the prominent ‘hairpin’ lamination pattern, the hallmark of traditional blades of the region, consisting of seven dark lines alternating with six light lines, caused by the different types of iron that were combined during the forging process. This was formed by combining harder and softer iron, referred to as "male iron" and "female iron" in traditional ancient texts from the region, which was folded, nested together, and forged into one piece in a blade-making technique called pattern welding. The hilts are often made of engraved silver set with coral or turquoise, or in some rare instances are intricately chiseled and pierced in iron that is damascened in gold and silver. The different styles of swords that were once found in greater China can be distinguished by several basic features, which include the type of blade, the form of hilt, the type of scabbard, and how the sword was designed to be worn. Traditional texts divide swords into five principal types, each of which has a main subtype, for a total of ten basic types. These are in turn subdivided into dozens of further subtypes, many of which may, however, reflect legends and literary conventions rather than actual sword forms. A few excellent examples of arms and armour from the region can be found in museum collections today. Other types were preserved for ceremonial occasions, the most important of which was the Great Prayer Festival, a month-long event held annually in the local capitol. Historical armour and weapons were also very fortunately preserved due to the long-standing tradition of placing votive arms in monasteries and temples, where they are kept in special chapels, known as gonkhang (mgon khang), and dedicated to the service of guardian deities. Although there are representatives of the Manchus in Tibet, the region is largely left to function independently and does so for the next 200 years. Currently in one of the worlds greatest museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, there is an exhibition of Chinese & Tibetan arms and armour. Item 36.25.1464., within the exhibition, is a near identical sword, dated as 17th century, used until the 19th century, but theirs is lacking its scabbard. The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing pronounced Ching, was the last imperial dynasty of China and Mongolia. It was established in 1636, and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912. The Qing multi-cultural empire lasted for almost three centuries and formed the territorial base for modern China. It was the fifth largest empire in world history. The dynasty was founded by the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan in Manchuria. In the late sixteenth century, Nurhaci, originally a Ming Jianzhou Guard vassal, began organizing "Banners", military-social units that included Manchu, Han, and Mongol elements. Nurhaci formed the Manchu clans into a unified entity. By 1636, his son Hong Taiji began driving Ming forces out of the Liaodong Peninsula and declared a new dynasty, the Qing. In an unrelated development, peasant rebels led by Li Zicheng conquered the Ming capital, Beijing, in 1644. Rather than serve them, Ming general Wu Sangui made an alliance with the Manchus and opened the Shanhai Pass to the Banner Armies led by the regent Prince Dorgon. He defeated the rebels and seized the capital. Resistance from the Southern Ming and the Revolt of the Three Feudatories led by Wu Sangui delayed the Qing conquest of China proper by nearly four decades. The conquest was only completed in 1683 under the Kangxi Emperor reign (1661-1722). The Ten Great Campaigns of the Qianlong Emperor from the 1750s to the 1790s extended Qing control into Inner Asia. During the Qianlong Emperor reign (1735-1796) the dynasty reached its apogee, but then began its initial decline in prosperity and imperial control. The population rose to some 400 millions, but taxes and government revenues were fixed at a low rate, virtually guaranteeing eventual fiscal crisis. Corruption set in, rebels tested government legitimacy, and ruling elites failed to change their mindsets in the face of changes in the world system. Following the Opium Wars, European powers imposed "unequal treaties", free trade, extraterritoriality and treaty ports under foreign control. The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) and the Dungan Revolt (1862-1877) in Central Asia led to the deaths of some 20 million people, most of them due to famines caused by war. In spite of these disasters, in the Tongzhi Restoration of the 1860s, Han Chinese elites rallied to the defense of the Confucian order and the Qing rulers. The initial gains in the Self-Strengthening Movement were destroyed in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1895, in which the Qing lost its influence over Korea and the possession of Taiwan. New Armies were organised, but the ambitious Hundred Days' Reform of 1898 was turned back in a coup by the conservative Empress Dowager Cixi. When the Scramble for Concessions by foreign powers triggered the violently anti-foreign "Boxers", the foreign powers invaded China, Cixi declared war on them, leading to defeat and the flight of the Imperial Court to Xi'an. Overall 23 3/4 inches long. A most similar example is within the Metropolitan Museum collection Object Number: 36.25.1466a, b Original surviving antique swords from China and Tibet are extremely scarce due to the Cultural Revolution in the mid 20th century in China, when 99.99% of all existing antique swords were destroyed or ordered melted down for their metal content. Of course the manufacture and sale of reproduction Chinese swords in China is a thriving market, many are intimated and sold to be old and original, but very sadly, none are.

Nation : British
Local Price : £3750.00

A Most Rare & Stunningly Beautiful Imperial Russian Superior Cavalry Officer's Sword, Romanov Era, From the First Quarter to Mid 19th Century. A War Trophy of the Crimean War. Curved, bright polished single edge blade, cut with 2 fullers (one broad, one narrow), very fine brass hilt decorated throughout with laurel and acanthus leaves and foliage in relief, a knuckle bow with two bar guards, and a superb original wire bound polished horn grip, with a typically Russian form of forward slanted pommel, with pommel ball. Original Imperial Russian Romanov period officer's swords of the 19th century appear very rarely indeed, as so few survived the revolution, and when they do, if they are the very fine quality examples, they can achieve extraordinarily high prices. It is certainly possible this sword is a trophy of the Crimean War. This superb sabre would likely have seen its most combative service in the Crimea, such as at The Battle of Balaclava that is remembered in Britain for the actions of two British units. At the start of the battle, a large body of Russian cavalry charged the 93rd Highlanders, who were posted north of the village of Kadikoi. Commanding them was Sir Colin Campbell. Rather than "form square", the traditional method of repelling cavalry, Campbell took the risky decision to have his Highlanders form a single line two men deep. Campbell had seen the effectiveness of the new Minié rifles with which his troops were armed at the Battle of Alma, a month earlier, and he was confident that his men could beat back the Russians. His tactics succeeded. From up on the ridge to the west, Times correspondent William Howard Russell saw the Highlanders as a "thin red streak topped with steel", a phrase which soon became the "Thin Red Line". Soon afterward, a Russian cavalry movement was countered by the Heavy Brigade, which charged and fought hand to hand until the Russians retreated. That caused a more widespread Russian retreat, including a number of their artillery units. After the local commanders had failed to take advantage of the retreat, Lord Raglan sent out orders to move up and to prevent the withdrawal of naval guns from the recently captured redoubts on the heights. Raglan could see those guns because of his position on the hill. In the valley, that view was obstructed, and the wrong guns were in sight to the left. The local commanders ignored the demands, which led to the British aide-de-camp, Captain Louis Nolan, personally delivering the quickly-written and confusing order to attack the artillery. When Lord Lucan questioned to which guns the order referred, the aide-de-camp pointed to the first Russian battery that he could see and allegedly said "There is your enemy, there are your guns", because of his obstructed view, which were wrong. Lucan then passed the order to the Earl of Cardigan, which resulted in the Charge of the Light Brigade. The House of Romanov was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russia. Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, and his immediate family were executed in 1918, but there are still living descendants of other members of the imperial house. Romanov 19th century history; Paul I was murdered in his palace in Saint Petersburg in 1801. Alexander I, succeeded him on the throne and later died without leaving a son. His brother, crowned Nicholas I, succeeded him on the throne in 1825. The succession was far from smooth, however, as hundreds of troops took the oath of allegiance to Nicholas's elder brother, Constantine Pavlovich who, unbeknownst to them, had renounced his claim to the throne in 1822, following his marriage. The confusion, combined with opposition to Nicholas' accession, led to the Decembrist revolt. Nicholas I fathered four sons, educating them for the prospect of ruling Russia and for military careers, from whom the last branches of the dynasty descended. Alexander II, son of Nicholas I, became the next Russian emperor in 1855, in the midst of the Crimean War. While Alexander considered it his charge to maintain peace in Europe and Russia, he believed only a strong Russian military could keep the peace. By developing the Imperial Russian Army, giving increased autonomy to Finland, and freeing the serfs in 1861 he gained much popular support for his reign. The Crimean War was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between the Russian Empire and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom, and Sardinia-Piedmont. Geopolitical causes of the war included the decline of the Ottoman Empire (the "Eastern Question"), the expansion of Russia in the preceding Russo-Turkish Wars, and the British and French preference to preserve the Ottoman Empire to maintain the balance of power in the Concert of Europe. The flashpoint was a disagreement over the rights of Christian minorities in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, with the French promoting the rights of Roman Catholics, and Russia promoting those of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Crimean War marked a turning point for the Russian Empire. The war weakened the Imperial Russian Army, drained the treasury and undermined Russia's influence in Europe. The empire would take decades to recover. Russia's humiliation forced its educated elites to identify its problems and recognise the need for fundamental reforms. They saw rapid modernisation as the sole way to recover the empire's status as a European power. The war thus became a catalyst for reforms of Russia's social institutions, including the abolition of serfdom and overhauls in the justice system, local self-government, education and military service. In excellent condition overall considering this fabulous and incredibly rare sabre’s cavaly officer has obviously seen hand-to-hand combat, thus there is very light and minuscule overall surface wear to the steel blade, but it is still very fine indeed, very bright and wonderfully polished. On the hilt’s upper section of knuckle-bow, on the inner side, there is a very fine tiny combat-stress hairline {see photo 6}. Likely caused by a combat punch action impact of the hilt against a resistant object, possibly a helmet. Blade overall 38 .75 inches long, blade 31.75 inches long. No scabbard Possibly by Schaaf & Söhne St. Petersburg. We have seen Imperial Russian, of very similar quality and design, officer’s dragoon swords, such as a later pattern St Anne’s dragoon sword for bravery, sell for up to £30,000, so relatively, this sword is most inexpensive by comparison..