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Nation : British
Local Price : £850.00

British Crimean War Royal Engineer Drivers Sabre. 1850. #2504003. This is a very rare British Crimean War (1853-1856), Royal Engineer driver’s sabre made by Schnitzler & Kirschbaum of Solingen in 1850.At the outbreak of the Crimean War, the Board of Ordnance felt it necessary to equip Royal Engineer wagon drivers with a sword, and as a matter of expediency, purchased sabres originally made for, and recently trialled by the Prussian monarch, Frederick William IV, Guard Hussar Regiment. The sabres bear both the Prussian monarch’s ownership marks and the inspection stamps of British Board of Ordnance inspectors based in Liege.The 888mm (35 inch) curved blade has a broad fuller below a flat spine and terminates in a spear point. The blade has a 220mm upper false edge. The blade is in excellent condition, retaining its unsharpened factory edge. The spine is stamped with the crowned FW cypher of Frederick William IV and the date mark for 1850 above an inspection mark.The ricasso is stamped with the Schnitzler & Kirschbaum maker’s logo and a crowned, British Board of Ordnance Liege inspector’s mark. The forte bears a later inverted arrows, sold out of service mark. These sabres had a short working life and were removed from British service after the Crimean War. Dress regulations for artillery and engineer drivers published in 1855 state that they were to bear no arms of any kind, so it would seem that the provision of these sabres was solely for used during the conflict in the Crimea.The large barred guard is in great condition and consists of a narrow, flattened knuckle bow and a rounded side bar joined by a broader, flattened bar. The guard also has a solid, demi-oval thumb guard and a rear facing quillon. The smooth backstrap incorporates “ears” that are riveted through the wooden grip. The ridged hardwood grip is in great condition retaining its original covering and the blade is firm in the hilt. The front of the guard bears Prussian inspection marks and the letters, K. G.The sabre is complete with its original scabbard with twin suspension rings. The steel scabbard is in good condition with cleaned, shallow pitting. The top of the scabbard bears the British inverted arrows, sold out of service mark and the shoe is stamped with the S&K maker’s mark. The sword sheathes and draws smoothly and is held firmly within the scabbard.This is a great example of a very rare British sword supplied exclusively to Royal Engineer wagon drivers during the Crimean War.

Nation : British
Local Price : £850.00

British 1845 Pattern Naval Cutlass, Post-1859 Type B, by Chavasse. Description Slightly curved, unfullered blade, leather washer, black-painted bowl hilt and ribbed grip, both cast iron, complete with black leather scabbard with steel chape and throat piece with frog stud, black leather frog. Blade 27 inches in length, the cutlass 32 inches overall. The blade is stamped at the ricasso with the maker&#acute;s mark &#acute;Chavasse&#acute;, indicating manufacture by Chavasse & Co, Birmingham. It is stamped on the other side with a small indistinct mark, possibly a crown inspection stamp. The rear side of the frog is stamped near the belt loop with a broad arrow and &#acute;I&#acute; which is an Indian stores mark, as well as with a very small letter &#acute;V&#acute; near the bottom edge. Experiments during the early 1840s for a new naval cutlass design to replace the venerable 1804 Pattern resulted in a design by George Lovell, the Inspector of Small Arms, being accepted in 1842. A fire at the Tower of London destroyed early stocks and the design did not enter service in bulk until three years later, hence being termed the 1845 Pattern, the initial production run lasting until around 1852. In December of 1859 and January of 1860, the War Office placed new orders for 17,000 cutlasses spread across eight British manufacturers. These were 1845 Patterns but with a modified hilt, sometimes called the Type B: slightly smaller than the original, with less of a swell to the grip towards the pommel, an oval steel strengthening piece between the grip and the hilt and the back edge of the bowl hilt upturned slightly towards the blade. 3,000 of this batch were ordered from Chavasse & Co, of which this example is one. It has its original brass-mounted leather scabbard, not the new model introduced in 1862 which featured a retaining spring. The blade is the original curved 27 inches long: many 1845s of both A and B types were converted to straight 25Â½ inch blades in the 1870s by shortening and reforging. This process was botched by a lack of proper heat treatment after the reforging, leading to blade failures in combat, the deaths of British sailors, a public outcry and a military procurement scandal. The original, unmolested 1845 was considered very successful, however, handling well compared to its bulky predecessor the 1804 and being simpler to manufacture. The blade is bright with patches of cleaned pitting, which affects the edge in places. The very tip of the blade has rolled (<1mm). The hilt and grip retains almost all of its black paint, some very minor flaking and wear e.g. at the bowl edges. The brass fittings of the scabbard are free of dents and have an even patina. The leather of the scabbard remains flexible with some surface-level cracking and light rubbing in places, its stitching is open along most of its length. The frog has more significant cracking, some flaking, and rubbing wear at its edges. The leather retaining strap of the frog has broken at the weak point where the hole is pierced for fastening at the buckle.

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : £850.00

**1600-1800 SHINTO PERIOD BLADE MODELLED ON ANCIENT 14TH CENTURY STYLE** RESTORATION PIECE**Japanese O Wakizashi / Uchi Gatana Single Handed Sword, Scabbard & Expert Assessment. ED 3017 -. This sword has been assessed by UK Japanese sword expert Bill Tagg. A copy of his hand written notes and illustrations accompany the sword. In extracts from his notes he states “O Wakizashi or Uchi Gatana single handed sword. Interesting but difficult to date. Based on a Nambokucho 14th Century shape. Probably a big flamboyant Shinto period 1600-1800 made sword, light enough for Shinto. Would look outstanding with a new polish. Hard to put a particular school or style. Has piece of brass soft soldered to end probably done by smith to improve balance when in use. Saya is Meiji period very dark red lacquer, oblique slash marks decoration with horn kuri kata & big patinated copper top and bottom plain fittings. Good condition overall. Faded copper habaki Meiji period. Tsuba Katana size oval patinated copper with Nanako dots and incised plant / leaf decoration late Meiji period. No school stands out, un-signed. Small assembly numbers on seppa. Tsuka plain wood, no Ray skin or menuki, simple re-bind by previous owner, needs fish skin and professional re-bind. Fuchi Kashira soft metal patinated copper pair with Kingfisher & boat riverbank scene very good quality & good condition Meiji period. A restoration piece”. In his illustrations Bill measures the cutting edge as just over 51 cms, total length 68.5 cms and describes other blade and tang measurements & characteristics which can be seen in image 2. As a restoration piece. The price includes UK delivery. ED 3017

Nation : British
Local Price : £850.00

Scottish Victorian 1828 Pattern Infantry Officer’s Basket Hilt Broadsword. Description Straight spear-pointed blade with double central fullers and two short fullers at the ricasso. Steel pierced basket hilt, unusual green leather hilt liner. Spiral grip of wood covered with shagreen bound with wire, steel ferrule and pommel cap. Steel scabbard with two hanging rings, ball finial at the chape. 32Â½ inch blade, 38Â½ inches overall. The blade is etched with foliate motifs incorporating thistles, laurel and palm, the crown and cypher of Queen Victoria, an on one side at the ricasso with the retailer&#acute;s mark &#acute;Furnished by MIDDLEMASS 18 South Bridge EDINBURGH&#acute; beneath the Prince of Wales&#acute;s badge of a crown and three feathers and &#acute;BY APPOINTMENT&#acute;. At the ricasso on the other side is a brass proof slug reading &#acute;PROVED&#acute; set within an etched six-pointed star. The blade&#acute;s finish is excellent with only a handful of tiny spots of patination, some very light scattered scratches towards the tip. The etching is bright and clear, retaining the contrast between the matt acid-etched background and the reflective polished designs within it. The blade&#acute;s edge is unsharpened and undamaged. The shagreen of the grip is all intact with very light handling wear, its wire binding is all present with slight movement to the loops nearest the pommel. The, hilt, ferrule and pommel have speckled cleaned pitting. The leather of the liner is somewhat stiff with only light rubbing and small areas of flaking at its edges. A green liner is an oddity, basket hilt liners are generally red chamois, but there was considerable variation in dress for Scottish units, especially among Volunteer battalions. The scabbard is free of dents and has speckled patination.

Nation : British
Local Price : £850.00

British Circa 1801 Georgian Infantry Grenadier Officer’s Sabre. Description Single fullered spear pointed knife blade with reversed cutting edge (on the same side as the muzzle ring), steel hilt with muzzle ring and protruding rivets, wood scale grips attached by two screws, steel beaked pommel with locking button. Steel scabbard with frog hook and ball finial. The blade is stamped on its exposed tang with a three-part stamp &#acute;E95&#acute;, followed by a crossed swords emblem, followed by &#acute;50&#acute;, indicating the year of manufacture was 1950. The pommel end is stamped with &#acute;112&#acute; and &#acute;tgf&#acute;. The letter code &#acute;tgf&#acute; was used to indicate Ä

Nation : French
Local Price : £850.00

Italian 1855 Model Sabre. Designed by the Turin-based sword maker Francesco Gravier in co-operation with the royal arms factory, this sword would become an iconic sword of Italy’s unification period military. Taking influence from earlier military patterns, it would remain in service until 1888.82cm long, 94cm overall and 3cm wide at the shoulders, the double fuller extends the length of the blade and it is engraved with stands of arms and the initials D DThe sword and handle are solid with no movement, and the blade and scabbard are free from marks or pitting.

Nation : British
Local Price : £850.00

Scottish Victorian 1828 Pattern Infantry Officer&#acute;s Basket Hilt Broadsword, 90th Highland Borderers Light Infantry, 1855-1881. Description Straight spear-pointed blade with double central fullers and two short fullers at the ricasso. Steel pierced basket hilt, brown leather washer, red fabric hilt liner with white leather inner and blue silk edging. Spiral grip of wood covered with shagreen bound with wire, steel ferrule and pommel cap, fringe of red silk thread. Steel scabbard with two hanging rings, ball chape finial. Blade 34Â¼ inches in length past the washer, the sword 40Â½ inches overall. On one side at the ricasso is a brass proof slug reading &#acute;PROVED&#acute;, set within an etched six-pointed star. The blade is further etched on that side with &#acute;HIGHLAND BORDERERS 90 LIGHT INFANTRY&#acute;, wreaths of laurel and palm and foliate motifs. It is etched on the other side with the retailer&#acute;s mark &#acute;MARSHALL & CO ST JAMES&#acute;S ST LONDON&#acute; beneath the royal coat of arms, as well as the crown and cypher of Queen Victoria and foliate motifs. Marshall & Co. was a retailer who like many military outfitters resold swords made elsewhere, with their name applied to the blade at the production stage “ the Wilkinson company records, for instance, list Marshall as one of their trade customers. The 5th or Fifeshire Regiment of North British Militia was one of many created by the Militia Act of 1797 “ this essentially replicated the long-standing English militia system that had existed since 1757, but which had not previously applied to Scotland. Parish constables drew up lists of all men aged 18 “ 50, with limited exemptions, then drew ballots to select some for three years of compulsory militia service, although men chosen could delegate their role to paid substitutes if they could find & afford them. Militia units were for home defence only, and could not be sent overseas “ service in practice meant a few weeks of training each year and occasional mustering for duty in keeping public order, almost always outside their home county. Nonetheless, the compulsory system was unpopular and riots had broken out in Lincolnshire in 1757 over the first Act, some wrongly believing that it meant they would be conscripted into fighting overseas. Even forty years later some Scots feared at first that men in the militia would be ordered out of Scotland against their will. The Fifeshire Regiment recruited from the counties of Fife, Stirling, Clackmannan and Kinross until 1803, when it replaced Fife with Dumbarton, becoming the 28th Stirling, Dumbarton, Clackmannan, and Kinross Militia, sometimes referred to just as the Stirling Militia or Stirlingshire Militia. Recruitment was relatively strong compared to some counties, but not exactly eager: in 1808 only five of the 222 men from Stirling were principals (men actually chosen in the ballot) while the rest were all paid substitutes. The regiment languished for a long period, called out for training only 4 times between 1816 and 1855, until the Militia (Scotland) Act of 1854 breathed new life into it, reworking the Stirling Militia into the 90th Highland Borderers Light Infantry Militia, with the Duke of Montrose as their honorary Colonel. The Childers Reforms of 1881 attached volunteer and militia regiments to their local regular infantry regiments as new battalions “ the 90th therefore became the 3rd Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. That means this sword can be dated to the period 1855-1881. The 3rd Battalion served in South Africa during the Boer War “ a memorial can be seen in the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling which commemorates the 13 men of the battalion that died there. During WW1 the 3rd Battalion served as a training unit, it was a Supplementary Reserve unit in WW2. It was ultimately disbanded in 1953. The traditionally-styled Scottish broadsword was carried exclusively by Highland infantry regiments until 1881, when the Lowland regiments adopted Scottish dress and the broadsword along with it (with the exception of the Cameronians aka Scottish Rifles). This example does not have an interchangeable hilt, it is peened permanently in place. Interchangeable hilts are a feature that dates back to the 1860s and were first officially mentioned in the Dress Regulations of 1883. This would normally be a helpful feature for dating but it should be noted that Scottish volunteer and militia swords are typically non-interchangeable even in later periods. The blade is bright with only a few small spots of patination, some of these among the etching. Its edge is unsharpened and undamaged. The shagreen of the grip is all intact with very light handling wear, its wire binding is all present and tight. The sword is solid in the hand with only very fractional movement of the ferrule. The, hilt, ferrule and pommel have some mottled patination. The fringe is very good with good colour and strength to the strands. The hilt liner has some light staining in places, its blue edging has been almost entirely lost exposing the join between fabric and leather. The scabbard has speckled light patination and one spot of notable damage “ a deep dent on one side which has rent the steel, exposing the wood core and meaning that the scabbard is supported there only by the remaining strip of steel on the opposite side, which flexes due to the weight of the scabbard. Too much bending there could put pressure on the wood core, so take care to support the scabbard when the blade is withdrawn. One small dent elsewhere on the opposite side. Despite this damage the sword still fully sheaths and draws.

Nation : British
Local Price : £850.00

British Mameluke Sword for a Royal Equerry to Queen Victoria. Description Curved, single fullered, hatchet-pointed blade with false edge and stepped spine. Mameluke hilt cast with decorative leaves and inset with the crown and cypher of Queen Victoria. Ivory scale grips, brown leather washer. Iron scabbard with simple throat piece held by screws, two brass bands of rosette form with hanging rings. Blade 32Â¼ inches in length, the sword 37Â½ inches overall. The blade is etched on both sides with foliate motifs, and the crown & imperial cypher of Victoria &#acute;VR&#acute;. A space for a proof slug is found at the ricasso on one side (under the langet) surrounded by an etched six-pointed star, but the slug has been lost. These uncommon swords were part of the dress uniform of royal equerries “ military officers selected to serve as personal attendants and assistants to the monarch, similar to an aide-de-camp. It was considered a tiring, difficult but highly prestigious duty. The term originated from their equestrian role controlling the royal stables, but over time this became a separate job and from 1825 this was done by the &#acute;Crown Equerry&#acute; alone. Equerry&#acute;s swords are of the &#acute;mameluke&#acute; style, similar to those of staff officers or Lord Lieutenants but with the monarch&#acute;s cypher inset in the hilt to signify direct service to the sovereign. See Bonhams sale of 13 June 2016, lot 1078, for another Queen Victoria example, Olympia Auctions sale of 29 June 2022, Lot 322, for an example for King Edward VII, and Bonhams sale of 5 Dec 2012, lots 197 & 198, for two George V examples. Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901 and would have had three equerries at any one time, with a number of &#acute;extra equerries&#acute; in reserve, usually retirees from the position. Senior royals including the Prince Consort and Victoria&#acute;s sons (once they were old enough to assume royal duties) also had one equerry each. I am unsure how many equerries Victoria ultimately had in total throughout her long reign, but it should be noted that some men were long-serving in the role: Lord Alfred Paget, for instance, served as Chief Equerry with only brief interruptions from 1846 until his death in 1888. Today equerries serve on a fixed three-year term, but at that time terms were flexible, essentially at the monarch&#acute;s pleasure. Some spots of light patination to the blade. One of the ivory grip slabs has a break at the sword knot hole “ the broken piece remains attached but can move slightly. Some patination to the scabbard. There should be a brass chape piece on the scabbard held by two screws “ this is missing and so the end of the scabbard is open. The two screw holes are visible at the chape end. Due to the ivory used in the grip this sword cannot be exported from the UK. It has been declared and registered as antique ivory under the provisions of the UK Ivory Act and therefore can be sold within the UK. Please note that this is a one-time registration: if you purchase this sword and wish to resell it you must register it again.