Best of 2020

[George Wheeler]

It is time for the annual Best of Show thread to showcase your best buy of 2020. It does not have to be the rarest or most expensive sword you found this year but your favorite.

My best buy was an Italian Police Officer sword that I have been seeking for years. These swords are quite scarce. It is similar to the Italian Colonial Police sword but it is more ornate. There are similarities in the shape of the narrow etched blade and the shape of the black leather scabbard and gilt brass scabbard fittings. While the scabbard fittings are the same general shape they are more ornate. The Municipal Police Officer version has a flat ornate guard with a large clam-shell with a Fascist eagle perched upon a bundle of rods ax. This same eagle is etched on the reverse of the narrow blade. The pommel is worked with a head wearing a wreath of laurel symbolizing victory. The fluted white grips appear to be bone and the face of a lion appears on the front of the flat guard. All brass fittings are gilt.

What is your favorite find of 2020?

[Glen C.]

I suppose my best buy might be an Ames 1870 bayonet that just arrived yesterday via the "pony express". Two weeks via USPS Priority. I could want for a scabbard but the price without was too tempting. Quite clean and well marked.



Another highlight would be a British officer's 1821 heavy cavalry sword from Wilkinson in 1869 for John Moore. Jonathan Hopkins helped me greatly with some notes and I did send for the proof page.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?ts=5eba0cc5


There were other possibles but these two might have been the best buys.

Cheers
GC

[Jerry Cottrell]

Pleased to obtain this nice Austrian cavalry officer's (or possibly NCO) sabre dating around 1785-1800. No maker's name, but beautifully engraved with the double-headed eagle on both sides of the blade.

[Mel H]

A bit of a lean year for all of us I would guess but I managed to get out and find a nice early Naval dirk after the first lock down ended.

[George Wheeler]

Some nice edged weapons shown so far. Mel, do you know what country your Naval dirk is from?

[Mel H]

Some nice edged weapons shown so far. Mel, do you know what country your Naval dirk is from?

I'd like to think English but there's such a variety of them, that without a maker or retailers name I can't be sure.

[Simon R.]

Best piece of the year and it has already been prized from mre fingers with bitter regret...

Stay safe!

can't wait to see 2020 in the rearview mirror...may 2021 be the best!

Cheers!

Simon

[GC Roxbury]

Lots of great Naval swords and cutlasses added to the collection this year. Its a tough choice but I think I will post this one. Great condition Ames 1870 pattern U.s. Revenue Marine Sword.

[Greg Nehring]

A sparse year for acquisitions but I was able to add to my British Infantry Officers sword with a nice Pattern1788 by Cooper and Craven. Missing the quillon but everything else in nice shape. Remarkably, the sword even came with a scabbard!

Happy New Year!

Greg

[Bryce D]

G'day Guys,
My favourite from 2020 is a mameluke hilted sabre marked to the Grenadier company of the 45th regiment of foot circa 1814.
Cheers,
Bryce

[George Wheeler]

Some nice finds gents! I am particularly jealous of the minty USRM sword.

[Simon R.]

Some nice finds gents! I am particularly jealous of the minty USRM sword.

I have to agree with George. Very nice USRM piece!

[Eric Fairbanks]

While a bit outside my scope of US Federal period and Spanish Colonial I was none the less intrigued by these beauties. I made excellent purchases in rare Spanish Colonial and Federal Period pieces but was drawn to these. I cannot say they had diplomatic or militia use but are the diplomatic style. One in needle etch and one in white. While not my area I assume 1830 to 1860 time frame. Eric

[Vladimir Sukhomlinov]

My acquisition in 2020 is an unknown alteration of a bayonet for a Mannlicher rifle, model 1895, for my collection of bayonets for Mannlicher rifles of various modifications.
The bayonet is unremarkable at first glance. The scabbard is inserted into a Bulgarian-made frog of the WW2 period.
The bayonet itself, judging by the regimental mark on the head of the handle - at one time "served" in the 4th sapper battalion of the Austro-Hungarian army - 4SB regimental mark and rifle number (?) 298.
But the highlight of the bayonet is in the cross ring - which has an internal diameter of 15.5 mm, which is suitable only for the barrel of a Mauser rifle model 1898 (Germany) or 1924 (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia). But at the same time, the tooth of the bayonet fastening latch is ground down so that the bayonet cannot be latched onto the rifle barrel.
Here is such a riddle that I have to solve ...

[Max C.]

It's been a good year as far as getting swords for me. I must say that my celtic hilt sabre is without a doubt my best acquisition of 2020.

[George Wheeler]

More nice examples of 2020 finds. Even with the curtailment of military arms shows due to covid it seems our little group can still find some extremely nice edged weapons.

[Javier Ramos]

My best sword in year 2020 was probably a near perfect condition 1768 dated Toledo, single edge, dragoon sword. The 1761-1768 engravings are different than those from 1769, and this is the only sword I have ever seen with them (aside from a 1764 very faint 1728 model). Those for 1769-1776 are already very rare, and often blades had been remounted with other hilts. Later the dragoon blades have two edges. But as I want to write an article with it I will reserve it for later.

I will show instead this cup hilt with a metalic grip:








This has a cavalry war blade with the inscriptions "xESPADEROxxENxxALMANIA" and "xMISINALxxESELxxNOMBRExDxIESU", I will put tentatively this one in the period 1670-1690. It has a nice point breaker and a simple "guardapolvo". I think something is missing at the cup rim. Possibly another point breaker was sawed off, or maybe it was made of a different metal, brass or silver, now lost.

[Dale Martin]

Gentlemen: About the best I was able to find in 2020 are these two Prussian Kürrsieren Paloschen. The left is a German made pattern of 1819 as gifted to the King of Prussia by the Tsar of Russia in honor of the defeat of Napoleon. The right is a French AN XIII that was re-worked by Prussia in the 1830 era. The main clue is the grip, which is remade in the Prussian pattern with more wraps than the French usage.

Both of these are considered hard to find, even in Germany, and I was happy to obtain these two after searching since 1970 for them!

Dale

[Evgeny Kirienko]

My best buy was this early schiavona, made in Belluna, 1570-80s

[Ivan B.]

Nice schiavona, Evgeny!
I have one with similar hilt, possibly from the same manufacturer. How do you know where it was made?

[David R]

Well 2020 was a difficult year for collectors markets, but for me the best of the year (in this category) was this British 1885 troopers sword, with replaced grip scales. NB the full length picture is a stock photo of the type from the 'net.

[Evgeny Kirienko]

Thank you Ivan. Please, read my private message.

[Will Mathieson]

The condition of this sword is great, the provenance even greater. Wilkinson blade proof page records the date of 15 Sept 1902. It also states the blade and scabbard are nickel plated.
The serial number traced the original owner to Col B. Duff D.A.A.G. General Beauchamp Duff, Commander of the Indian Army was D.A.A.G.at the time this sword was purchased.
Photos show this very same sword being warn. The peculiar cross guard finials shaped as an eaten apple separate this mameluke from all others i have seen. Wilkinsons possibly added this minor detail just to differentiate a full general from other officer ranks. I will not put all his history here as it is easily googled.