Revolutionary War British Officers Sword (ON HOLD,EB)

This is another early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 artifacts. Being offered is a  Revolutionary War British officers sword. The overall size is 38 ½” with the triangular blade being 31 ½”. The grip is wire-wrapped leather with a solid brass pommel. It has a double-shield solid brass guard.

There are no visible markings, which was common for the era. There are similar styles of this sword in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (see pictures). This style was made without a knuckle bow; some officers preferred this model because it made for easier access when wearing gloves. There are known instances where officers would remove the knuckle bows on swords that had them for this same purpose.

The sword has some very slight movement around the brass guard and the very tip of the sword was broken off. If desired, the tip could be repointed, but I think it is just fine as it is….not very noticeable.  There are similar swords in “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution” by Neumann & Kravic (see pictures).

This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, and lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with any known provenance.

It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum.  As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included. This is a nice period sword for the price.