May 27, 2020 Founders & Patriots
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/27/2020
This military smallsword is 39 inches long overall and features a 32 ¾ inch-long, colichemarde blade, hollow-ground and triangular in cross-section, with a wide forte of 1 3/8 inches which abruptly tapers to a much narrower form approximately 8 inches down from the guard; traces of etching (largely obscured through repeated cleanings over its usage period) are found on the wider upper portion. The silver-mounted has the "boat-shell" guard popular with British, French, and Anglo-Colonial military and naval commissioned and non-commissioned officers (including George Washington) from c. 1750-1780, with shell work and fluted edging; while the knuckle-bow, pas d’ane, and pommel are ornamented with spiral fluting or gadrooning. London hallmarks for 1756, as well as George Fayle’s “G.F” touchmark are found on the recto of the knucke-bow near the pommel. The grip is bound with 5 strands of twisted, silver wire alternating with a single spring-ribbon, also of silver. George Fayle, silversmith and sword cutler, was in business at Wilderness Lane in London from at least 1760-1768; for details of this maker, see Leslie Southwick, "London Silver-hilted Swords..." (2001), pp. 105-106. The sword still retains its original scabbard with silver scabbard mounts, consisting of throat with frog stud and hanging ring, middle band with ring, and drag—all decorated with gadrooning. CONDITION: some light “scabbard stain” and freckling to the blade, the silver rather dull and greyish in tone, otherwise as noted; very good overall. JLK
Pictured and discussed on pp. 32-33 of “For Liberty I Live”, although maker is misattributed to George Hunter.