Late 18th Century U.S. Naval Cutlass ?

[theswordcollector]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

Nice sword, CC! I would agree with Shakethetrees on your sword in that the guard might be original to the hilt. We've seen the 'loose blade' phenomenon enough in the Colonies to know it was common practice. Of course, it might have been a refitted Rev War capture, etc. I would agree with you that it might be an officer's in that it's light, but definitely a naval piece.

TheSwordCollector, I would suggest getting your weapon looked at by a local naval museum (British Maritime Museum might be a good start, or send pics to the Smithsonian, who have a whole building dedicated to all things nautical). If that hilt is red maple, which I strongly suspect that it is, then you have an excessively rare sword as I described above (the 'Baltimore' pattern). These are the creme de la creme of naval pieces. The iron hilts are rare, but the wood gripped pieces fetch major prices. Good luck.

Thank you for your kind response and information. I will send photos to the Smithsonian and ask their opinion you are correct a very good suggestion. The hilt is maple I have studied sections of it for some time under high magnification and it does match maple 100%. It would be great if it is a Baltimore piece :-)