Early 1800's US Sword

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Terry K

Hotspur,
Thanks you so much for answering my inquiry. You have given me a wealth of info. I tried to find it in my American Eagle Head Swords book from the Medicus collection. Some were close but no exact, I know that was a pipe dream.I looked in the late Andrew Mowbray's book also but to no avail. I really love early US swords and this one spoke to me while at a friend house. Of course he had just gotten it in and unfortunately I showed my excitement so he racked me pretty good for it.I don't care as it is now hanging on my wall. You show some very nice blades also sir.

Jim McDougall,
I was educated guessing on it being German. It could easily be British. I am hoping to hear more on the subject.

Hi Terry,
As Glen has noted, this hilt is most likely British but blades in this period in England were often German. As I mentioned, the cross hatch on these grips reminds me of British swords for officers of this period. I would defer on any further notes on this outstanding sabre to Glen, as he is the master on the field of American swords.

[Terry K]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for answer. I only thought the blade may be German as it has kettle drums on it instead of regular ones. Also I have seen numerous German embellished like thia, but have seen other ones done about the same. I've played at collecting for 50 + years and love learning every day.

Terry

[Hotspur]

Hi Terry

I had come across my example on Ebay and although priced very well, the shipping cost posted seems to have scared others away. I had contacted the seller before the auction ceased and they said they would reimburse any cost above actual shipping. Waiting pensively until the end, my single bid accepted and the sword with check arrived virtually untouched for two centuries.

There is a very brief passage in Mowbray mentioning these with backstraps and he placed them after the war, with a promise to discuss it in "volume 2". The best we have is the younger Mowbray working with Flayderman and the Medicus collection.

There is a faint chance these were cutlered in New York state, up the Hudson (where mine surfaced) but other traits remain that they were brief English cast versions. None I have seen are marked other than mine, with the Woolley Deakin blade mark. Your etching does appear it could easily be the same we see on Kirschbaum & Schimmelbusch (sp). There is still a K&S bird on Ebay but I have its twin in a picture file. I will post that along with mine as I found it. My short term memory is shot but it is a NY jeweler that I was thinking of, ah Issac Hutton of Albany. My acquisition thread here, with Dmitry's example.
http://www.swordforum.com/forums/sho...n-amp-Co-Blade

The K&S marked sword almost a Ketland type head with a backstrap.

Cheers

GC

Note; the only cleaning I did to mine was to remove a layer of varnish that had been applied at some point.