May 18, 2021 Early Arms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/18/2021
This important sword is the only known complete survivor to exist; it is one of 280 sent to Sir William Pepperell's Regiment in 1754. The hilt is brass and bears a crown on each side of the pommel and the Hanoverian horse on its large, dished, outer guard. There are small traces of gold gilding evident in various recessed parts of the hilt. The dished guard is marked "Sr. W. P. No. 2" below the Hanoverian horse. These swords were marked in America by Sir William Pepperell after they arrived from England. The wooden grip retains two small brass wire tips that are evidence of the wire wrap that once covered it. CONDITION: Very good as described. The brass has a brown, mustard-type patina. The blade has a relatively smooth brown grey patina with some areas of expected light pitting. REFERENCE: "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution", George C. Neumann, page 72, 31.S. A copy of the recent February 2021 article by Erik Goldstein in Man at Arms magazine, Volume 43, No. 1 is included. The article is titled "King's Muskets for the Two American Regiments" on pages 10 to 20; in the article, a sword of this identical pattern dating from 1715 to 1750 is shown, as well as the author's sketch of the markings for Pepperell's Regiment, likely the Grenadier Company, found on sword No. 33. The hilt is from a dismounted sword of this pattern found in a New England attic in the late 19th century. The markings are identical. Erik Goldstein states that these swords with the Regimental markings are only known because of this single example of a detached hilt. DRG
Paperwork
Magazine Article