This saber measures 36-1/2” overall and has a wide, 31-1/4” blade, with relatively steep curve, made without a ricasso and with a single wide fuller starting from the guard and running along under the back edge of the blade, which is blue and gilt on the lower half. It is in very good condition, the hilt showing very good detailing to the eagle’s head and the beaded or ball decoration of the stirrup guard knucklebow and side loop, all retaining a lot of gilt finish, and the reeded bone grips showing no chips or cracks. The blade has a good cutting edge with no nicks and a good point. The blued finish shows some thinning and rubbing, but sets off well the etched motifs that have pretty much all of their gilt wash and fill.

The peening of the blade tang shows some unevenness and staining, but no indication the sword was ever apart. The gilt finish to the hilt is very good overall with some gray or light green verdigris spots in the eagle’s mouth. The bone grip is a cream color, round in cross-section with a slight well, with the reeded portions showing a thin brown, and some small, thin brown age spots overall. The eagle pommel is the “Ketland” form, see Mowbray, The American Eagle-Pommel Sword, p.101ff. for details and parallels, and also, among others, Chartrand, Uniforms and Equipment of United States Forces in the War of 1812, in particular p.96 (Top) for a close parallel. Peterson pushed a spadroon bladed sword with this form of hilt rather late, to the 1820s, but the wide, curved saber blade with no ricasso on this clearly dates earlier and consensus now dates the hilt pattern circa 1805 and mostly in the 1810-1815 period: see Mowbray and Chartrand.

The blade is blued for just under half its length, with the panel terminating in scrolling leaves on both sides. Each side is ornamented with three etched motifs- the upper and lower ones showing foliate designs with curling or scrolling leaves, vine and flowers, above and below a central martial motif. On the obverse the central decoration is both military and patriotic, showing a floating, vine entwined trophy of arms featuring a United States shield superimposed on a quiver, pike with banner and flag cords, with a pole topped by a Liberty Cap rising above it at center. The blue is thin, but visible, shifting a bit toward purple in places and rubbed above the lowest motif, showing some gray of the blade. The upper portion of the blade is steel gray, with some darker gray age stains. The reverse, has more uniform thin blue and uses the more purely martial motif of a shield and cannon barrel superimposed on a crossed pike and what appears to be a furled banner on a pike staff with spearpoint and knotted cords at top, the whole showing a leafy vine rising up from beneath and extending over it.

This comes with an original, period leather scabbard with its brass middle and lower ring mounts in place, both showing scalloped upper and lower edges and simple, incised line decoration. The scabbard, however, is probably about 4 inches too short, with the fit also extremely tight. The drag is missing and the blade sticks out a bit if really seated. Given the upper scalloped upper as well as lower edge of the upper ring mount, it is clear there was separate throat and so, perhaps, there was enough leather also to make it long enough for the sword blade, but even so it is still rather tight. Nevertheless, the sword came to us with this scabbard, it looks good displayed with the sword, and we are sending them back out into the world together.

This is a nice looking saber with the eagle’s head descended from early swords decorated with the heads of predators, like lions and eagles, or hunting animals like horses and dogs, but now transformed into an American patriotic motif, though still with its fierce aspect, as emphasized by the US shield in the blade decoration. [sr][ph:L]

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