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Nation : Russian
Local Price : 565.00 USD

PRUSSIAN M.1873 ARTILLERY SABER. Iron hilt with P form guard and ribbed composition grip. The cross guard with 5 cancelled regimental issue numbers and serial number opposite. 29 3/4” broad fullered blade, with ALEX COPPELL SOLINGEN make's mark to the ricasso. Shown uniform medium gray patina. The back ordnance marks. A well used veteran showing its years of service.

Nation : French
Local Price : £400.00

French 1870 Franco-Prussian War 'Defense Nationale' Bayonet for the Remington Rolling Block Rifle, Repurposed M1831 Sword Blade. Straight unfullered blade with spear point, cross hilt with muzzle ring and hooked lower quillon with ball finial. Ribbed cast brass grip and beaked pommel, one steel rivet which also secures the external leaf spring which actuates the locking catch, peened tang at the pommel. Steel scabbard with frog loop. Blade length: 48.6cm (19 1/8 inches), overall length 61.1cm (~24 inches), muzzle ring diameter 18mm. The hilt is stamped on one side with the serial number ‘859’. These bayonets were made at the French arsenal of Chatellerault for two months of the year 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War (July 1870 - January 1871), intended to fit the Remington Rolling Block rifle. They are sometimes referred to as ‘Defense Nationale’ bayonets, presumably because they were commissioned as a matter of emergency for national defense. They are in many respects like the German ‘ersatz’ bayonets of WW1, including the use of repurposed materials: the French combined the hilt and grip of the M1866 Chassepot bayonet with blades of the much older M1816 and M1831 infantry sidearms, (both of ‘gladius’ style). These obsolete short swords were presumably seen as expendable sources of good blade steel, but they needed significant reshaping to make serviceable bayonets. One edge of the double-edged, diamond profile blade has been ground down to form a flat spine and clear the way for the rifle to be fired. The blade was originally leaf-shaped broadening slightly along its length, and this is still visible in the remaining edge. The shoulder of the blade has been slimmed on both sides. With no fuller and no additional distal taper the blade remains noticeably heavy for a bayonet: a standard M1866 weighs 622g while this piece weighs 774g, despite being nearly 10cm (4in) shorter. Note the small divots on the third rib of the brass grips, placed as a guide to where a second grip rivet would usually be located. That rivet is always absent on these models. Its scabbard is a modified version of the standard M1866 scabbard: identical in its upper section but in its lower section it remains straight rather than curving as the M1866 must to accommodate a yataghan blade. It is oversized in length relative to the bayonet it holds. They were finished in bright steel, never blued. The French acquired around 210,000 Rolling Block rifles from Remington during the Franco-Prussian War, most being the model ordered by Egypt in 1869, chambered in .43. The Egyptian government had been delinquent in payment so Remington happily resold its initial order of 60,000 to France and produced the rest thereafter – the Egyptians had to wait until 1876 to get theirs. Many of the rifles acquired by France were adapted to use the M1866 Chassepot bayonet but these rare bayonets are examples of an attempt to go in the opposite direction. One may marvel today at the very idea of there ever having been a shortage of Chassepot bayonets. See page 415 of Collecting Bayonets by Maddox for discussion of this type.

Nation : French
Local Price : £400.00

French M1854 Naval Officer's Sword by Coulaux, Klingenthal. Curved blade fullered a la Montmorency (one broad fuller and one narrow fuller running close to the spine) with false edge and spear point. Black leather washer. Ornate brass hilt with forward-curving quillon in the form of a mythical sea creature, usually referred to as a dolphin, cast and pierced panel of decoration to the outer guard in the form of a fouled anchor, leaves and vines, the edges of the panel cast to appear as if wrapped in a rope, this feature continuing down the ornate knucklebow, which has an oval opening for a portepee. Ring also set inside the hilt next to the ferrule for threading a portepee. Grip of ribbed black plastic bound with wire. Brass backstrap cast with seashells, swags and leaves, integral oval pommel cap with radial palmate design. Black leather scabbard with brass fittings at the throat, middle and chape, the throat and middle pieces with hanging rings, the throat piece bearing a frog stud in the form of a seashell on one side, and a fouled anchor on both sides, the chape piece with large shoe cast with a seashell and leaves. The spine of the blade is engraved with the maker’s mark ‘Coulaux & C. Klingenthal’. The ricasso of the blade is stamped on one side with two poinçons (inspector’s punch marks), one of a star and ‘C’, the other a star and ‘B’. Government arms manufacture at Klingenthal began in 1730 with the opening of what was then known as the 'Manufacture Royale d'Armes Blanches d'Alsace', and ended in 1836, the location being considered too close to the German border and vulnerable in case of invasion. Main production shifted to the arsenal at Châtellerault. The Coulaux family had been managing and operating the Klingenthal facility since 1801, and purchased it at auction from the French state in 1838. It was run by the family thereafter as the private enterprise ‘Coulaux & Cie’ (Coulaux & Co.), continuing to produce sword & bayonet blades, as well as fencing swords and agricultural blades, until its closure in 1962. The Model 1854 naval officer’s sword remains in use by the French navy to this day, France’s longest serving regulation model of sword. This example is probably from the early 20 th century as it uses plastic for the grip rather than horn: the material was updated when Bakelite became available. The combination of poincons seen on the blade’s suggest a date range starting from 1900, although I cannot find an end date for these. Given its manufacturer the sword cannot postdate 1962. The blade has a high polish with only small spots of light frosting and a few tiny spots of patination – it may well be nickel-plated and if so the plating is in excellent condition with no flaking. The brass hilt has an even light patina and a few tiny dents. The wire binding of the grip is all present and tight, the wood itself in undamaged. The scabbard has a few shallow dents to the upper end which do not interfere with sheathing and drawing, it retains its gloss black paint with a few tiny spots of flaking revealing steel and some areas of abrasion.

Nation : British
Local Price : £400.00

British 1905 Pattern Infantry Staff Sergeant’s Sword by Enfield, 1912 Rehilt and Conversion for George V. Straight single-fullered spear-pointed blade. Hilt similar in form to the 1897 pattern infantry model, with pierced decoration including the crown and cypher of King George V. Fully chequered backstrap, integral oval pommel with tang button. The hilt, ferrule, backstrap and pommel are all non-ferrous metal, probably German silver (copper-nickel-zinc alloy). Wire-bound shagreen grip, brown leather washer. Blade 32¼ inches in length, the sword 38 inches overall. Nickel-plated steel parade scabbard with two hanging rings. The blade is stamped at the forte on one side with a broad arrow, indicating War Department property, the maker’s mark ‘EFD’, indicating the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, a crown inspection stamp with ‘E’ for Enfield and an ‘X’ indicating that the blade passed a manufacturer’s bending test. It is stamped on the other side with two further crown inspection stamps for Enfield, the manufacture date ’00, and issue stamps ’01 and ’03. Unlike officers who privately purchased and owned their own swords, staff sergeants were issued their swords from regimental stores like a musket or bayonet, and the swords remained government property. The 1905 Pattern staff sergeant’s sword was unusual in that it was manufactured using surplus 1899 Pattern cavalry trooper’s sword blades, which is thought to have been done to replace swords lost in the Boer War without too much expenditure. As originally produced the 1905 comprised of an unmodified 1899 Pattern blade fitted with new slab grips secured with rivets and an 1897 type infantry hilt bearing the cypher of Edward VII. In 1912 both the 1898 and 1905 Pattern staff sergeant’s swords were officially rehilted to replace the old royal cypher with the new one of King George V. Having encountered and stocked multiple examples like this one, it is clear to me that other modifications were carried out to many of the 1905 Pattern swords beyond simply replacing the hilt, these modifications tending to bring them closer in form to the infantry officer’s sword (much like the 1898 Pattern sergeant’s sword, which was already a doppelganger of the officer’s model). The blade of this example has been reduced in length by trimming the tip, and narrowed in both width and thickness by grinding the faces, belly and false edge. Some curve has been left in the blade which is unusual for the type, perhaps because this one has been fitted into an artillery scabbard which itself has a slight curvature. For comparison: Original 1899 Pattern cavalry blade: Curved, 33½ inches in length, 1.45 inches wide at the shoulder (due to a flare at the base designed to add strength there specifically), 1.05 inches wide at the midpoint (16.75 inches from shoulder), 0.36 inches thick at the shoulder, 0.275 inches thick at the midpoint This sword’s blade: Slightly curved, 32¼ inches in length, 1.04 inches wide at the shoulder, 0.77 inches wide at the midpoint (16.75 inches from shoulder, ignoring shortening for a more direct comparison), 0.32 inches thick at the shoulder, 0.26 inches thick at the midpoint After this reshaping, which would have required complete reprofiling of the tip, the blade has been left unsharpened and mounted with its new hilt plus a new infantry-style shagreen grip and a standard infantry backstrap. The grip is very distinctive on these swords as it is quite crude compared to contemporary equivalents, lacking for instance grooves for the wire. Possibly the tang is wider than standard requiring something bespoke yet easily fabricated. While the pattern stamp found on the spine of the 1899 Pattern is missing on this example, probably ground off in the conversion, its issue stamps are typical and its modified shape is distinctive. Even with a few manufacturing shortcuts, why the military went to such effort to convert these is an interesting question. My thought is that the 1912 sword would have stood out less on parade than the 1905 Pattern, which needed a larger scabbard and distinctive riveted grip to fit its cavalry blade. Rehilting swords for a new monarch may have become an opportunity for the Army to ‘fix’ the odd-looking and cumbersome 1905 Pattern into something that looked less makeshift, at minimal cost. This rehilt & conversion type is not found in lists of official patterns, but the change is extensive enough that perhaps we ought to consider the 1912 Sergeant’s sword worth noting as a distinct model for collecting purposes. Its features are consistent and it helps explain why the 1905 Pattern staff sergeant’s sword is quite rare today. The blade is bright with only very light patination in places and a polished finish. It is, as mentioned, unsharpened with no edge damage. The tip is fractionally bent to one side. The alloy parts are undamaged and bright with no damage or staining. The shagreen of the grip is all intact with very little handling wear, its wire binding is all present with very slight movement to all loops. The ferrule can shift slightly side to side: I suspect as a result of the conversion the tang is not quite the right thickness for it. The sword is otherwise firm in the hand, solidly peened with no movement to the grip. The scabbard is bright, free of dents with only a few tiny areas of wear to the plating. The sword sheaths and draws smoothly.

Nation : British
Local Price : £400.00

British c1860 Volunteer Lancaster Bayonet. Unfullered pipeback blade with quill point, steel cross hilt with straight lower quillon with round forward-swept finial, and upper quillon projecting from the muzzle ring. Grip slabs of pressed black leather over wood, secured to the exposed tang with four rivets, one of which secures the external leaf spring which actuates the locking catch. Black leather scabbard with steel throat piece with oval frog stud and steel chape piece. Blade 58.9cm (~23 3/16 inches) in length, the bayonet 72.4cm (28½ inches) overall, muzzle ring diameter 20mm. The blade is stamped at the ricasso on one side with the maker’s mark ‘CHAVASSE’, indicating manufacture by Chavasse & Co, Birmingham. The pommel is stamped with the number ‘208’, probably a rack or weapon number. The Lancaster carbine was adopted by the Royal Sappers and Miners (the precursor to the Royal Engineers) in 1855, and came with a bayonet that was unusual for British Army issue, as it used brass for its hilt, pommel and scabbard fittings and had a conspicuously long pipeback blade. Pipeback blades for swords had fallen out of usage on British swords in the 1840s: while they were intended to be stiff in the thrust with a durable point, they were difficult to forge, easily bent and the cutting edge was so thin as to be fragile. The design might have fared better on a bayonet for which thrusting was paramount, and the shorter blade was less likely to flex, but fullered blades were the norm and the Lancaster would be the only British pipeback bayonet. While its looks were striking on parade, the Lancaster bayonet was fragile, requiring more frequent repairs than other models. Despite this issue, sheer decorative appeal meant that the bayonets outlasted the carbines they were made for, being repurposed as parade sidearms for the Royal Army Medical Corps and remaining in service into the early 20 th century. Shortly after the Lancaster’s introduction, growing tensions in Europe raised concerns about Britain’s vulnerability to potential invasion. To bolster national defenses the War Office sanctioned the establishment of ‘Volunteer Corps’ in 1859. These units were somewhat a reinvention of the militia – non-professional soldiers who were expected to provide their own uniform and equipment, train at regular intervals and be ready for mobilisation in case of invasion. Providing their own equipment extended to arms too – some volunteer rifle units were provided with Army surplus but many instead pooled money and purchased weaponry from the commercial market. Volunteer rifle units generally purchased carbines wherever possible, and one option for a bayonet to pair with these was the Lancaster. Its looks may have appealed to volunteer soldiers, or its potential to double as a bayonet and a sidearm. Commercial versions differed from the service model: they usually had steel components instead of brass, and a different scabbard closer to that of the contemporary cutlass bayonets. See British & Commonwealth Bayonets by Skennerton, p123. These were not necessarily fitted to Lancaster carbines – each bayonet would have been hand-fitted and this may have been to the Enfield short rifles or carbines, of which there were multiple models. The blade is unsharpened with no nicks to its edge. Some grinding and polishing marks to the blade, with some spots of patination, some frosting at the hilt end, areas of moderate pitting along the spine and small spots of heavy pitting on the flat of the blade in the pipeback section, some of these contacting the edge. The hilt, pommel, rivets and exposed tang have heavy dark patination and speckled light pitting, moderate pitting to the muzzle ring and upper quillon. The locking button functions well. The leather grips are very good with no apparent wear to the knurling, beside some surface rubbing at the pommel end. One small dent to the exposed tang. The scabbard leather has some surface rubbing and flaking but is generally strong with all of its stitching intact, able to support its own weight. The scabbard throat and chape pieces are heavily patinated with peppered heavy pitting, some small dents to the chape piece which do not interfere with sheathing and drawing.

Nation : -
Local Price : 555.00 USD

1840 PATTERN MUSICIAN'S SWORD. German made with HORSTMAN SOLINGEN maker's mark. Undated and not US marked, indicative of militia use. Very likely fought for the Confederacy. Musicians marched at the head of the attack and were recognized as a stabilizing and stimulating force. Musicians marched at the head of the attack and were recognized as a stabilizing and stimulating force. They were attacked to silence them and a few including Robert Henry Hendershot and John Clem became legends for their bravery on the battlefield. Union musicians were equipped with the 1840 pattern sword and no other weapon. From the famed American Sword Collection of Frank Barnyak.

Nation : Unknown
Local Price : £550.00

An 1889 Pattern Naval Cutlass.

Nation : -
Local Price : 550.00 USD

CIVIL WAR MILITIA NCO SWORD, CHARLESTON. Pattern used by northern and Southern Militias in the Antebellum period and which subsequently served in the Civil War on both sides. See The American Sword, Peterson, #11. Brass hilt the “bow tie” form guard and plumed helmet pommel, shows dark patina. The grip perished. 28” diamond section blade with crusty surface rust. Purchased in the 1970's at Schindler's Antiques, King St. Charleston South Carolina. It was said to have come from a Charleston house clearance and to have been carried by a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. That time was just 100 years after the war and hardly anyone collected anything. Such items with good honest provenance could be purchased very cheaply.