Well, it looks like a variation of the Spanish M1843 sidearm ("
machete") for Infantry Pioneers (free translation of the Spanish word "
gastador", a class of soldier whose function was to flatten and level the terrain for the passage of trains, carriages and cannons).
The pictures are, frankly, quite bad, but the blade fits well with the one belonging to the model (is also the same blade that featured the M1843 for gunners and soldiers of the engineer corps). The hilt in the original model is similar, but with a lion head in the pommel, an straighter grip and a diamond-shape
ecusson. As I said, it seems to be a variation, wouldn't be unheard of, and my bibliography on Spanish Military models needs an actualisation...
Yannis, similar hilts, though normally more elaborated, with tiger-head pommels and tiger motifs in
samshirs and
talwars tend to be associated to Tipoo Sultan, known as "The tiger of Mysore", who fought the English domination. Jim Macdougall, for example, knows FAR more about this than me, let's see if he chimes in. Anyway, I STRONGLY doubt the hilt in this particular e-bay piece has anything to do with India or Tipoo Sultan by any stretch of imagination, but maybe your
samshir could...
