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Nation : Japanese
Local Price : £1,545.00

1885 Period Into WW1 & WW2 Japanese Officer’s Army Kyu Gunto Parade Sword With Gendaito Hand Forged Blade, Scabbard With Leather Field Combat Cover & Expert Assessment. Sn 16923 -. This is an original Japanese Officer’s Army Officer’s Parade sword. The sword has been assessed by UK Japanese sword expert Bill Tagg. A copy of his hand written notes accompany the sword. In extracts from his notes he states “An 1885 period Kyu Gunto sword with traditional Gendaito hand forged blade. Looks like Hizen school work from tang shape & forging which is Suguha (straight) with Nie crystals on the Ha-Buchi. Blade has a cutting edge of 27”. Hada is very fine wood grain. The tang is un signed. Hilt is missing a family mon badge, can see small hole in fuchi where it would have been. The whole sword is of 19th century manufacture, a sword carried in both world wars”. The hilt has a push button scabbard retaining clip which is complete but does not lock into the throat mount of the scabbard. The Ray skin covered handle has small areas of wear to be expected and its original wire binding is intact. All the fittings are original. The sword is complete with wood scabbard which has a single hanging ring. The scabbard is fitted with a replacement field combat cover. All leather and stitching of the cover are intact. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 16923

Nation : Italian
Local Price : 2,100.00 USD

ITALIAN TRANSITIONAL RAPIER C.1700-1720. Gilt hilt with asymmetrical thickened edge shell guards and large supporting rings. Decorated throughout in relief with classical busts and baroque drapes. Copper wire wrapped grip with inset bars. 33” diamond section blade with slightly concave faces. The gold strong and bright with slight rubbing as expected. The blade with light surface texture and scattered oxidation from scabbard storage. Period of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and probably the sword of an Italian military officer.

Nation : British
Local Price : £1,500.00

British 1827 Pattern Naval Flag Officer’s Sword with ‘Andrea Ferrara’ Broadsword Blade. Triple-fullered broadsword blade 29 inches in length, 35 inches overall. Gilt brass half-basket hilt cast with a crown and fouled anchor within a cartouche, hinged inner guard, brass backstrap with lion head pommel cap, white shagreen grip, brass ferrule with sword knot ring. Black leather scabbard with gilt brass fittings at the throat, chape and middle, the throat with two opposed hanging rings and the middle piece with one hanging ring. The blade is engraved on both sides with ‘ANDREA FARARA’ [sic], and also features the royal crown and coat of arms with motto ‘HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE’, a quatrefoil design, a sunburst at the ricasso and feathers (possibly the three feathers heraldrically associated with the Prince of Wales). The top piece of the scabbard is engraved with the maker’s mark ‘PROSSER Maker to the King and Royal Family LONDON’. The level of decoration of the scabbard signifies that this was the sword of a flag officer – that is, an officer with a rank higher than Captain. It conforms to regulations laid down in 1832 for flag officer’s scabbards, with one modification – a third hanging ring was added later on the opposite side of the chape piece to the original. This was a change introduced in 1847, showing that this sword was still being carried by that date. Higher-ranking naval officers could get away with significant variations in their uniform swords – some are even recorded as having carried foreign swords or British models that had been declared obsolete. This scabbard may have been produced at a later date than the sword, either after the 1832 regulations or upon the officer’s promotion to flag rank, since the ring fixed to the ferrule typically indicates an early example of the 1827 Pattern sword hilt. The use of a broadsword blade in a British naval sword is not unheard of: the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich holds seven examples of such blades. However, these all date from 1870-1882 and result from the use of standard-pattern broadsword blades, which were produced for Scottish infantry regiments from 1866. With such blades readily available some officers may simply have chosen them for looks or personal preference. This sword is an example of an earlier practice, one more often seen in the Army, of officers reusing broadsword blades of the 17 th or early 18 th century, fitting them into the regulation pattern hilt and accoutrements to make them fit for service in a new era – or fit enough not to stand out too much on parade, at least. It is quite likely that these were inherited ‘family’ blades, since it was a common practice (particularly in Scotland) to rehilt swords and keep them in use over generations. I have found no reference to this being done to produce a naval sword before, this example may be rare or unique in that respect. For an excellent pair of examples, see The British Cavalry Sword (Companion Volume) by Richard Dellar, page 25, depicting the 1796 Pattern dress and undress swords of Lieutenant-Colonel David Home of the 2 nd Dragoons. Both of Home’s swords have ‘Ferara’ [sic] marked broadsword blades, fitted by the London cutler Johnston into regulation hilts at some point between 1798 and 1802, with custom scabbards to match. Andrea Ferrara is a name that appears quite often (with a number of spelling variations) on English and Scottish blades of the 17 th century, leading to much speculation as to who this celebrated swordsmith was. Giovan Cigogna, describing Venetian swordsmiths in his book Trattato Militare (1583) writes that “in the town of Bellune are the ingenious master Giouan Donato and master Andrea dei Ferari, both brothers.” The town is today called Belluno, and a contract exists in the State Archives of Belluno from December 1578 in which these same brothers agree to supply 600 swords ‘of the kind used in England’ per month for ten years to a London-based importer, a huge quantity which suggests that their operation was at a significant scale for its time, although whether the contract was filled entirely or cancelled at some point is unknown. There is no evidence that either brother ever visited Britain and despite the quantity mentioned in the contract no more than a fraction of the blades found today can possibly have been made in Belluno, especially as many are clearly more recent. Rather it would seem that the imported blades were of such impressive quality that the Ferrara mark was counterfeited by others and/or used as a general mark for a blade of superior quality rather than specific manufacture. The fact that ‘Andrew Ferrara’ or simply ‘Ferrara’ became a slang term for the Scottish broadsword and sometimes for swords in general supports this interpretation, and it is unlikely that many people at the time believed their blade was forged by the man himself. John Prosser was a prominent London sword cutler who took over the business of his employer Thomas Cullum in 1795 and traded on Charing Cross Road until 1860, specializing in high-quality blades including custom officer’s swords and presentation swords. He was creative with his commissions and invented the ‘quill-point’ blade in 1818. In his early years of business he developed a close relationship with the Prince of Wales, whose infatuation with military pomp led him to commission several swords from Prosser, including a set awarded to the officers of the 10 th Hussars, his pet cavalry regiment, in 1808. This connection was rewarded with titles: Prosser was appointed Sword Cutler and Beltmaker to King George III and in 1820 was made Sword Cutler in ordinary to King George IV (the former Prince). Prosser’s firm proudly displayed these royal connections on every sword sold, in this case a custom version of the naval officer’s hilt and scabbard to accommodate a pre-existing blade. It is possible that Prosser did not do the rehilting, since Prosser-made naval swords typically do not feature a folding guard, but this cannot be proven either way without a maker’s mark on the sword itself. The blade has some areas of pitting and what look like repairs in places to fill in old damage. This has sadly obscured some of the engraving, which is unusually extensive for a Ferrara blade and might have been added to over time. The scabbard leather has shrunk and hardened with age, which has burst its stitching along the seam. Its fittings are all sound and retain a good deal of gilding, while the sword’s hilt retains almost all of its gilding even in areas that would be handled more. The hinged flap of the hilt works well and fits onto a pin at the scabbard’s throat to lock the sword into the scabbard. The shagreen grip was almost certainly originally bound with wire, but this has been lost. The white shagreen itself is in good condition, with no damage and little handling wear.

Nation : British
Local Price : $1,495.00

English Plug Bayonet by John Hathaway, ca. 1690. Featuring tapering 11 ½” single-edged wedge-section blade, double-edged for the last 5 1/4″. The forte is deeply stamped on one side with the Blazing Star mark assigned to John Hathaway by the Worshipful Company of Cutlers of London on September 26, 1689 and also an unidentified King’s Head mark (KH18 in R.D.C. Evans’ “The Plug Bayonet”) . While the King’s Head was a mark used by Solingen makers Weyersberg and Wundes, this mark is clearly different, as all the German Kings Head marks are left facing profiles, whereas this one is right facing. The brass hilt is of the type known as the Winged Figure Series in Evans’ book and the slightly upturned quillons and pommel both feature this three-dimensional figure. The grip is of turned walnut with a brass ferrule at the base and tapering crimped pommel cap with integral winged figure finial. Overall length 17 5/8″. Blade with light pitting, hilt and grip near excellent. A very fine example of a classic English plug bayonet of the period of James II and the ascension of William of Orange. Another example by this maker, formerly in the 2003 catalog of Peter Finer, Ltd. is currently being offered by a UK dealer for 2825 British Pounds (nearly $4000 USD).

Nation : German
Local Price : $1,495.00

Named Prussian Infantry Officer’s Sword, First Quarter 19th C. Gilt brass hilt featuring upturned shell guards, rear quillon, and knuckle bow joining the faceted conical-shaped pommel with large button. Raised acanthus design on quillon, knuckle bow, and pommel. Wood grip with twisted silver wire wrap. Single-edged 33 1/4″ blade with broad full-length fuller stamped with maker’s mark “N.K” on the tang and etched with foliage, stands of arms, the royal cipher of King William Frederick III of Prussia (intertwined F and R over W, reigned 1797-1840), and “C—-Alter Major und Commandeur” (about 3/4″ between C and Alter deliberately scratched out) on one side and “Ersten Bataillon 25ten Infanterie Regiment” on the other side. Black leather-covered wood scabbard with brass throat and drag, broken and separated just above the drag and leather flaking. Condition of sword very good with most of the gilding remaining on guard, small dents to grip, and minor age staining on blade; scabbard poor, as noted. Overall length 39 3/8″, not including scabbard. Similar example ca. 1800 illustrated in “Europaische Hieb- und Stichwaffen”, fig. 442. During the Napoleonic Wars the 25th was under von Lutzow and at Waterloo it was in the II Corps, 5th Brigade. The 25th dates at least as far back as the reign of Frederick the Great and was heavily engaged throughout the Seven Years War and nearly destroyed at the Battle of Torgau in 1760, though this sword clearly post dates that. Further research could determine more of this sword’s undoubtedly interesting history.

Nation : French
Local Price : $1,495.00

French First Empire Hussar Officer’s Saber, Early 19th C. Featuring brass hilt consisting of stirrup guard with twin langets and flat reverse quillon; lion head pommel with integral backstrap and small button. Leather grip with two-strands of twisted brass wire (loose, but unbroken). Curved 32 1/2″ (82.5 cm) single-edged blade with broad single fuller; etched, blued, and gilt over the upper third with floral decoration and stands of arms. Black leather scabbard with long brass drag and throat with frog stud (incomplete). Overall length 37 1/2″ (95.2 cm), not including scabbard. Blade bright, with some fading of the bluing, but retaining nearly all of its original gilding; the last 5″ of the blade with some moderate to heavy pitting, probably from long storage in the leather scabbard. While the scabbard fits the blade and follows the curvature of the blade, it appears that a piece is missing from the throat and it therefore does not seat against the hilt. Scabbard leather flaking, but the seam is completely intact. An attractive privately purchased sword for a light cavalry officer in Napoleon’s famed hussars or Chasseurs à cheval.

Nation : French
Local Price : $1,495.00

French Napoleonic Era Silver Hilted Senior Justice Official’s Sword. During the 19th Century, the French developed many beautiful styles of swords that set the standard for nearly every other Western country to imitate. Many of the 19th C US model swords were almost exact copies of the French patterns. This was also a time in Europe when nearly every gentleman and government official had a sword as a part of his wardrobe. This example finer than most, with silver hilt (most were brass) consisting of beautiful down-curved shell guard depicting Lady Justica with the Scales of Justice and the Ten Commandments amid floral decoration in low relief, lion head reverse quillon, and elegant scrolled knuckle guard connecting to the forward-canted scroll pommel, all with beautiful decoration in low relief. Reeded Mother of Pearl slab grips with side straps beautifully decorated with a series of interconnecting circles. Straight 32 1/2″ (82.5 cm) hollow-ground blade of diamond section, the upper third blued and gilt with floral decoration; maker’s mark “W” on the forte. Its scabbard, likely of leather with silver mounts decorated ensuite, is sadly no longer present. The hilt and grips excellent; blade with some fading in the blue and gilt decoration and minor rust marking. Overall length 37 3/4″ (95.9 cm). Such a sword would be the type carried on formal occasions by the fictional prosecutor Villefort in Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel “The Count of Monte Cristo”, and dates to the same period.

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : $1,495.00

Japanese WWII Type 95 NCO Katana Sword. The Japanese NCO (non-commissioned officer) swords were introduced on September 16, 1935. They were machine made and came in six different variations, however, two of the variations were not officially recognized by the Japanese Imperial Army. These swords were also issued to officer candidates on September 17, 1940. While their overall shape and appearance is similar to traditional Japanese katanas, they featured a cast tsuka (grip), which was painted to simulate traditional tsuka with rayskin cover, menuki and silk wrap. This made them easier and cheaper to produce and also offered more durability. Early models had cast copper tsukas, most later examples were of aluminum, and late war examples even made of wood. This example with bright 27 3/8″ (measured tip to guard) slightly curved single-edged blade with single fuller running nearly its full length. One-piece cast aluminum tsuka (hilt), painted brown, with top latch; the base ferrule stamped with maker Ijima Token Seisakusho factory mark and Kokura Arsenal stamp. There is one other inspection stamp that we cannot make out. Cast 9mm thick brass tsuba (guard) with pebbled surface and raised edge. Steel scabbard with single carry ring, painted olive green. The top securing latch and thick brass tsuba indicate that this is an early production second pattern, made for career soldiers between 1938 and mid-1941. After that time the latch was moved to the side and tsubas were of thinner iron instead of brass. Oddly, neither the blade nor the scabbard bear a serial number, which is found on almost all other examples. Hilt shows wear and loss of paint on the high spots, blade smooth with a couple small spots of light corrosion; scabbard with some chips to the paint, but no dents. Overall length 36″ (91.4 cm), not including scabbard. The Japanese were the last army to regularly use swords in battle.