August 18 & 19, 2020 Edged Weapons, Armor, & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/18/2020
Lot consists of 2 US military swords. (A) US Navy 1841 pattern cutlass. Regulation US Navy pattern until 1861. Influenced in design by the Army 1832 short sword, an example of which is included in this lot. Reverse: "NP AMES / CABOTVILLE" at the base of the blade. Inspector "RC" on quillon final. Obverse: "US / 1846 R[C]" on blade, "JL" on quillon. "C" of "RC" on blade is light. CONDITION: Very good. Crisp markings. Nicely cast and chased eagles on pommel. Medium patina to brass hilt with no dents or damage. Blade with good edge, very slight rounding to tip. Shows muted silver with some gray areas and some freckling toward the point. (B) 1832 pattern short sword. Introduced among the Army's new patterns of the early 1830's and designated both for artillery serving on foot, but also an NCO sword for infantry sergeants and carried by some musicians until the 1840 patterns came in. "UNITED / STATES / 1835 / JM" on one ricasso (a little rubbed along the base of the JM) and "[Eagle] / N.P. AMES / SPRINGFIELD" on the other. Rubbing to the upper portion of the eagle. "HKC," "ORD" and "JM" inspector marks on the underside of the guard. Nicely cast and chased detail to the pommel eagles. Scabbard complete with both brass mounts. Solid condition. Minor wear to the finish. patina of mounts matches hilt. This is 1 of the early hilts by Ames with improved inner structure to replace those previously made by Huse. This was a very popular sword and large numbers went to state arsenals and militia groups. They are also found onboard Civil War U.S. Navy vessels as stop-gap issues for cutlasses. This is a U.S. inspected sword with a nice early date from the period of the Second Seminole War. The early western expansion, and even pre-Mexican War. About 2,800 were delivered through 1835 on a November 1834 contract. CONDITION: Very good plus. Nice patina to the hilt. Blade with good edge and point. Blade shows muted silver overall with some gray at ricasso on either side and a small area near the end of the central fuller on one side. Scabbard near excellent with very minor abrasions and age cracks. Nice patina to mounts and good seam. SR
Item Dimensions: Larger: 27" x 10".
Blade Length
(A) 20 - 3/4" (B) 19"
Overall Length
(A) 26 - 1/2" (B) 25 - 1/4"