Seen at flea market
 

Guy wanted $50 for it. I didn't know what it was (beyond it being a sabre), the handle had damage/missing pieces, and it had no scabbard. So I passed. He did ask for me to make him an offer. But I don't think he would have gone for $10 And I'm not sure I'd have wanted it for even that little.

It did feel solidly constructed out of quality materials. The edge was unsharpened (had an edge grind but didn't appear to have ever been actually taken to combat ready). Sorry the pics aren't that great and that there aren't more of them. It was a really busy day. The gold colored emblem featured laurels or wheat (I forget exactly which) and read "PROOF".

Just going to link it because I've tried everything I know to scale how the the images display here and can't seem to.

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Ahhh! What a tease! No pics! :eek: :cool:

It'a British 1827 pattern Rifles Officer Sword. The blade type indicates it was made after 1845. Can't tell the maker from the pictures. Any close up pictures of the blade etchings and proof slug might help. The maker or retailer was normally etched into the ricasso on the opposite side to the brass proof slug.

Elements will do it

It had a thick even layer of oxidization on it in the area of the ricasso. Any marks beyond the slug would have taken some cream of tartar and a good deal of soft scrubbing to get down to. Did a mod fix my pics? If so thanks.

Also for future reference is it worth picking up things in this condition? Say for parts? Like if I were to have bought it for $30 or $40 could I have pieced it out for more than that?

a little tlc and elbow grease and that's a £100 ($150) sword. the surface rust will come off, and the underlying metal, unless badly pitted, which i don't see in the photo) seems sound. the grip could be patched, or left as is for the purists. i'd pay $20-30 for it any day...

Sounds like a bit more work for $20-$30 (which I don't even know if the guy would take) than I want to put in for the return given all the other projects I have going atm. And not something I'm really into collecting myself either. Thanks for the information though.

1827 PAT RIFLE OFFICER'S SWORD POST OFFICE
 

Looks like a postal horn and crown from the reverse side of the guard even though we don't have a photo of the front. Could it be a WW1 BRITISH ARMY 1827 PAT RIFLE OFFICER'S SWORD POST OFFICE RIFLES 1914 - 1918?

other side would have looked similar to this rifle officer's sword: