Civil War Era Sword

[fritz x]

It has an interesting pommel cap. It looks like someone tampered with it at some time, and tried to unscrew it. Someone wrapped electrical tape around the wood handle too.

[fritz x]

The blade has an inlaid design on it.

[fritz x]

Faint maker's mark

[fritz x]

Hi,

I found this sword at a flea market in Milledgeville, GA. It appears to be a cavalry sword. The blade measures 30." I could not make out the maker's mark on the blade. Does anyone know who made it?

Thanks,
Ted

[bodes]

Could the maker be Ames?...Bodes

[dhcoleterracina]

Weird, which might be good if it turns out to be CS

[phild]

My initial reaction is that it is a reproduction decorator type knock off made in in India say about 30-40 years ago (or several other possible places) that is a facsimile of an 1840 Cav saber.....but smaller....and has been aged and otherwise played around with.

The key is going to be if you can get something out of the etching, esp the mark on the ricasso. IMO there is also a good chance that the blade was not made for that hilt. This sort of conflicts with my comments above about the sword being made as reproduction......but I think points to it being made into something that it was NOT originally none the less.

With this type hilt and specifically the pommel, the blade tang would have been cut and peened....and then finished out to be even with the pommel. I feel very sure that this current "arrangement" would have never left a factory be it in Macon, Ga in 1862 or Lahore, Pakistan in 1982.

[fritz x]

Here are some pictures of the tang.

[fritz x]

pictures of the tang

[p-59a]

I think this is what he is talking about. The sword made in India 40 years ago has the handle held in place by a threaded nut. The period made sword does not. The sword made in India is also a few inch's shorter.

[Monarch 10EE]

It may shed some light if you can measure the thread for pitch and diameter.
It won't tell you what it is, but it may tell you what it's not. Example, if it's metric.

[fritz x]

The diameter is 1/8." It has 20 threads per half inch.

Thanks,
Ted

[bodes]

The diameter is 1/8." It has 20 threads per half inch.

Thanks,
Ted

Sounds like it could be a fine #6 thread which has 40 threads/inch....If that's the case, it would be an American thread...Bodes

[drbill]

Reproduction

Bad news, I've collected CW blades for 35 years, that is a modern reproduction cavalry sword commonly sold by reproduction dealers that has been poorly aged. the pommel nut and construction is nothing like a common CW cavalry, either 1840 or 1860 and it certainly bears no resemblance to any know CSA sword. Sorry to be bearer of bad news

[DALE ELLIS]

Sorry but as drbill says it's a fake. Here’s a sword very close to yours imported by and sold for around $35.00 by Bud K in Moultrie Georgia. I suspect your sword came from there and was intentionally aged to con unsuspecting buyers out of their hard earned money.