Best Sword of 2021

[George Wheeler]

Gents,

It is that time again for you to show the best sword you picked up in 2021. It does not have to be the most expensive or most rare one but it should be the one you like the best.

I will start off with the most complete sword I picked up this year making it my surprise (that is to say I was not looking for this specific sword) find.

This is a WWI-WWII period Italian Naval Officer sword complete with hangers and knot. The straight sword has gilt brass fittings with nautical motifs of fouled anchors, rope knots, etc. The nickel plated flexible steel blade is etched with similar Navy motifs including ships and anchors. The black leather scabbard has gilt fittings and a stud, that along with a folding guard, locks the sword in the scabbard. The embroidered blue and gold wire straps make up the hangers that have gilt brass fittings and a regain chain and hook. The knot is gilt wire with blue highlights that has been on the sword for a very long time.

I have been looking for an Italian knot like this but serendipity let me find this complete sword laying on a military show table.

[Will Mathieson]

It is a close call between a RHG 1912p named officers swords and a general officers sword of an officer in the 9th Foot, Norfolk. Only because my interest in earlier history do I choose the general officers sword of Henry John Wilkinson who was also a ameteur artist and drew many sketches while in the Crimean War. Of course the brass scabbard and etched name, family crest and battle honours clinched it.

[Norman McCormick]

Not a sword but a couple of 18thC spontoons or I should say a spontoon and a halberd minus the axe type head although according to https://collections.royalarmouries.o...ect-33648.html a sergeants halberd minus the head is classed as a spontoon. The 'halberd' spontoon is 7ft 5 1/2 inches and the regular spontoon is 7ft 4 1/2 inches. You can see the slot where the head would have been and secured with a screw fitting on the spear head. The one that is a dedicated spontoon has a more substantial and robust socket as you can see from the photographs. These tend not to be that thick on the ground and many seem to have had bits lopped off the shaft for various reasons so I was quite glad to obtain these two intact albeit minus the axe head.
The removable spear point has Roman numerals filed into the edge I would think to match an axe head stored or carried separately.
Regards,
Norman.

[Glen C.]

Perhaps my latest and favorite is a fish guard cuttoe. Outlined elsewhere.This short little guy should still be a keeper. The blade is only 15"/39.37 cm long. A whopping 22"/55.88 cm overall in length. Much as it is as it received, I have cleaned the brass enough to find that the fish actually has teeth!

Merry Christmas
GC

[Jim Joyce]

My best sword I picked up this year I posted about here back in late February. Mr. McCormick on your Spontoons I have the one in George Neumann's book Battle Weapons of the American Revolution page 378 55.PAA. The blade and beak are broken off. I purchased it from him at a show years ago before he past on. Now here is a question for you? I do have a complete English Halberd like the 2 on page 369. Been told the earlier models that the spear point does not screw out but is fixed. Only the later models does the spear head screw out. Your thoughts on that? Thanks

[Javier Ramos]

This is not actually my best acquisition from 2021 nor my most expensive, but my most entertaining (i apologize for the poor pictures):



Although dated in Toledo 1835, it could be asigned to the Light Cavalry officer model of 1840. It is broader than usual and a real fighting sword, heavy and quite sharp.
The rare thing is that it has its owner´s name inscribed on the blade. This is very rare for Spanish swords and still more at that period.

The name Amadeo de Mora (y Warnet) is easily researchable.

Online I could find a dozen documents and even his Services Record.

http://www.monacodebacardi.com/julio/site/doc10671.html


He was an artillerist with superior formation. He finished the Napoleonic wars as an LtCol, and continued up to Brigadier. In 1836, as a Colonel, and one year after the date of this sword, he was involved directly in a combat against Carlist party units (one of many Spanish Civil wars in XIXth century). Maybe he even used the sword in anger.

[George Wheeler]

What neat finds so far. These are what I like to see. The favorite finds for whatever reason.

I particularly like identified owner and researched swords myself. The history of the edged weapon can be as interesting as the material culture artifact itself.

Keep 'em coming.

[Norman McCormick]

My best sword I picked up this year I posted about here back in late February. Mr. McCormick on your Spontoons I have the one in George Neumann's book Battle Weapons of the American Revolution page 378 55.PAA. The blade and beak are broken off. I purchased it from him at a show years ago before he past on. Now here is a question for you? I do have a complete English Halberd like the 2 on page 369. Been told the earlier models that the spear point does not screw out but is fixed. Only the later models does the spear head screw out. Your thoughts on that? Thanks

Hi Jim,
I'm afraid I have no definitive answer with regard to your question. As you are probably aware information on these arms is rather thin on the ground. I have no reason to disbelieve the assertion that earlier types have fixed heads. The best resource to answer your question would probably be to e-mail the Royal Armouries as they have numerous examples and I have always found them to be helpful regarding this type of enquiry.
My Regards,
Norman.

[Magnus K]

This year I picked up an Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal (k.k.) cavalry sabre M1869 for officers. I generally prefer older swords but thought this is a must have for my collection. It’s nickel plated with scabbard. There’s a fuller down one side of the 83.5cm long blade with a false edge. The 2.8cm wide forte is marked ”L. Zeitler Wien VIII”. The symmetric hand guard (8.2cm wide at the grip) is decorated with floral openwork and the Habsburg double-headed eagle. The grip is covered in grey fish skin bound with silver wire. The pommel button is decorated with the owner’s monogram. I separately purchased an officer’s portepee which fits perfectly through the specially designed slits on the guard in front. For completion I fashioned a new washer from red felt material. I’m very pleased with it!

[Eric Fairbanks]

This espada ancha gets a top spot for me. Full length blade and most excellent hilt work.

[Dale Martin]

Guys: I believe I got this rat in '21, but I am not sure. It is a quite hard to find Palosch, Prussian issue, captured in 1815 from the French. It started as a Mle AN XIII, many of these were taken by the Prussians after Waterloo, and issued to the existing Kürrasier Regiments. In era of 1830 to 1835, they did a general rebuild of most of their edged weapons, especially the Blücher sabers and this model as well.

This example still retains the original blade tip form. Supposedly, for Waterloo, the French pointed the tip of this style of weapon. This one missed the modification, indicating to me that it was taken from French stores, and not in battle. Hard to say now, but that is my opinion.

In the 1830's general rebuild, the Prussians replaced the French grips with their own design, apparently they did not care for the original design with widely spaced wire and grooves. This one is one such example of that practice. It is also wrapped opposite of the French style, which is an indication of Prussian rebuild. These were issued to the line Kürrasier Regiments, and the many were stored for issue to Reserve and Landwehr heavy cavalry units later. This one is stamped with the marks of two such units, both of which are Landwehr heavy cavalry. The heavy cavalry Landwehr units were discontinued after 1871, making this one harder to find than the usual line regiments.

Dale

[Vladimir Sukhomlinov]

This is perhaps the most interesting saber in my collection, thanks to the scabbard lettering I purchased in 2021.

[Mel H]

Half a dozen to to choose from so here's an 1822 Pillin Cavalry sabre with a nice unusual crest that's proving to be a bit elusive. Triple D or three stirrups?

[George Wheeler]

Nice swords! 2021 has been good to you all.

[Jerry Cottrell]

Very pleased to obtain this nice light company officer's sabre based on the 1788 pattern, by Woolley & Co, 1790's. Wire bound ebony grip, feathered langets, lovely etched blade with maker's name.

[Will Mathieson]

Half a dozen to to choose from so here's an 1822 Pillin Cavalry sabre with a nice unusual crest that's proving to be a bit elusive. Triple D or three stirrups?

May be "D" for Duckett.

[MikeShowers]

Half a dozen to to choose from so here's an 1822 Pillin Cavalry sabre with a nice unusual crest that's proving to be a bit elusive. Triple D or three stirrups?

I'd say that the plume of feathers on the torse is the actual crest, and the 3 "D's" or stirrups is separate but related to the crest above. Will could be on to something, but the Duckett crest has the feathers coming out of a coronet.

[Eric Fairbanks]

The 88 hussar hilt is a really attractive piece.

[james.elstob]

Covered in a recent post, but still beautiful. 1857 acanthus scroll Scottish field officer's sword.

P. S. I wouldn't be at all displeased if there is a Woolley 1788 like the one above sheathed in my Christmas stocking tomorrow!

[Richard Schenk]

I obtained this apparently unique Marine sergeant’s hybrid sword, possibly a prototype, in July



It is unique for two reasons:

- It has no makers marks whatsoever. Virtually all Marine wide-blade M1859s are stamped or etched with the W. H. Horstmann name and Philadelphia address and, in most cases, with the king’s head stamp of the Solingen blade maker Weyersberg. Other than the absence of maker’s identification, the etching pattern is the same as found on typical Horstmann blades with the “U.S.M.C.” initials.

- The second unique feature is that the hilt is a hybrid of the early Type One M1859 and the later Type Two, sometimes called the M1859/75 model.

-- The Type One hilt, which is found on early Marine swords with plain unetched blades and blades with generic etching without “U.S.M.C.” initials, has the periphery of the pommel decorated with oak leaves; the guard has the space between the branches decorated by a pierced dense spray of foliage without rosettes; and the quillon face is decorated with a swirl design.




-- The Type Two hilt, which is found on later Marine swords with etched blades with the initials “U.S.M.C.” included in the design, has the pommel decorated with Laurel leaves, the guard with rosettes among the foliage, and the quillon undecorated.



I’m not quite certain what to make of this sword. It appears to be authentic and as originally made. If so, who made it, when, and for what purpose? I suspect it is a Horstmann or Horstmann/Weyersberg product. The etching is virtually identical to ones I have with named Horstmann blades. If not, it could have been made by Ames, Bent & Bush, Eggeling, or Ridabock, all of which had contracts to supply Marine sergeants’ swords. No examples showing their names, however, have ever been found on a Marine sergeant's sword. As for when, it was likely whenever the Marines first decided to use the initials “U.S.M.C.” on the blade. The conventional wisdom has been the initials were added in conjunction with the Uniform Regulation of 1875, but this is likely much too late. The Marines also changed the hilt design when they added the “U.S.M,C." to the etching. I have no idea why they wanted to change the design to use laurel leaves on the pommel and rosettes of the guard, but it might be because Ames and most other makers of the Army M1850 foot officers’ swords used those elements in their design.

My guess is that this sword is probably a Horstmann sword produced under B&B contract as a prototype for a sword with new blade etching pattern and modified hilt decoration. If B&B was required to submit it to HQ USMC for approval, they might not have wanted it marked with Horstmann and/or Weyersberg markings. The guard decorations were apparently subsequently modified to add rosettes before being placed in full production. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no evidence to support my suppositions.

[David R]

My own contribution has been posted in more detail elsewhere, but is the best military sword of the year for me. My personal favourite is the beleda belabang, a Borneo pirate sword which I will post elsewher.

[T. Donoho]

Wow! How long is the blade on the Espada Ancha?

[George Wheeler]

Very nice swords that are being shown. It looks like 2021 was a good year for many of us. I always like finding something that I have been looking for. It seems the longer I have to look for a sword, the sweeter finally finding that sword seems to be.

[Javier Ramos]

It is kind of weird that we have been getting swords as usual but we have written very little here. 2021 must be the poorest year in number of posts to date. Actually it happens in most forums I visit, not just this one.

[Will Mathieson]

It seems FB forums for swords etc. are doing well and quicker to sell items. The different forums interlink with your messages.