Hi Tom,
Nice work on the clean-up. As to whether the hilt originally had a crest, this can be hard to determine sometimes, especially from pictures. I have not seen a "crestless" kakatua hilt that showed no evidence of damage or recarving of the hilt. The crest seems to have been a vulnerable part of the pommel and susceptible to breaking off. It's possible that your kakatua hilt never had a crest, but that would be a first in my experience. Perhaps a crest was sometimes removed for comfort or ease of use.
Your pommel lacks the common side panels and I think the size of your kakatua crest argues for early-mid 19th C dress, but the blade could be older.
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