US MODEL 1840 HEAVY CAVALRY SABER DATED 1849 BY AMES

$1,495.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 2024-587

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The Model 1840 was based on the French M1822 and replaced the lighter and far less robust US Model 1833 saber for dragoons. Ames received their first  contract for 2,000 in 1844, on which deliveries stretched into 1845 and 1846. Contracts and deliveries of the pattern continued into 1858, with a final total of 23,700. This one is in very good condition and dated 1849 and likely from deliveries made from January 27, 1849, to January 12, 1850, totaling about 3,470 swords.

This follows the standard configuration with a blade about 35 ½” long with wide central fuller and narrower fuller running just under the square back of the blade. The brass hilt is complete with leather wrapped and wire bound grip, and the scabbard is complete with throat, carrying rings and bands, and drag. The hilt is excellent, with a mellow, medium patina to the brass and just small brown age stains. The pommel cap is smooth with no roughness or sign of re-peening to the tang. The grip wrap has a deep brown color with nice finish and surface showing only minor rubs, and the brass wire binding is tight and in place. The blade pad is also in place on the underside of the guard. The blade is very good, showing a medium bright mixed with some thin gray, still showing some traces of the original cross polishing above the ricasso. There is one small nick in the blade edge with a little roughness near it. The rest of the edge and point are very good.

The markings are very good. The blade is crisply stamped, “AMES MFG. CO / CABOTVILLE / 1849” on reverse ricasso, and “US / WD” on the obverse indicating inspection by sub-inspector William Dickinson. The brim of the pommel cap shows Dickenson’s  “WD” stamp again and the “JWR” stamp of James W. Ripley, the superintendent of Springfield Armory and also superintendent of contract arms from 1843 to 1854. Both stamps are fully legible with just a tad bit of rubbing at the ends.

The scabbard is very good as well, showing a steel gray mixed with thin brown mottling, showing no dents or pitting, and with throat, heavy rings and ring bands, and drag in place.

This is a very good example of a classic US cavalry saber used in the prewar frontier army and retained in service during the Civil War, sometimes in specific preference to the recently adopted light cavalry version.  [sr][ph:L]

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