sword id help needed please..

Kaz
Judging from the photos you posted this looks to be a Model 1872 Light Cavalry Sabre. On the opposite side of the brass hilt there should be a "Ray" pattern (straight lines on the Ricasso side). This pattern should also be on the Drag of the Scabbard, Also if it is an 1872 the Scabbard ring bands should or could have a Leaf pattern inside of 2 rows of small beads all the way around. Are any of these other marks I described present? The photos are too small to enlarge with any detail. Are there any inspectors marks or issue marks stamped into the Ricasso? Is the blade eliptical or Triangular shaped? The photo is not difinitive.
 
thanks for the help..

i can not find any inspector marks...i will keep looking..lol..

i took some more pics on high res. i hope you they will show up as big for you as they do me here.

it does have the leave pattern as you said..and the ray pattern


i also after 7 hrs of searching the net found 2 swords that look the same except for the scabbard end..they had no design where as mine does have a design.

1 site claims it was a model 1872 officers sword from the civil war,,of which only around 250 were made...{sales pitch i assume}

2nd site just said it was a 1872 calvary sword..as you have stated.

now as you can tell i am ignorant to some of the terms referring to the sword..with that being said,is 1872 the model number or the yr it was made? i do know some numbers such as the 1872 for example is only a model number and it could have been made in 1860 for example..

as for this sword i am more interested in a positive id {which you have given 1872 calvary} and the yr that it may have been made.

thanks again for your time...[/url]http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAN2TZu2ZtWbHUg&notag=1
 
HI Kaz
1872 is the year it was adopted for service but it refers to the Type mostly. for example the 1840 Heavy Cavalry Sabre (Wristbreaker) was made from 1840 to 1857. any model 1840 cavalry Sabre made in that exact pattern in that time frame is called a model 1840 Cavalry Sabre even if you have one made in 1857. So 1872 may not be its exact date of manufacture, but it is a model 1872 cavalry Sabre.
From what I have read of this sword a lot of Cavalry Troopers did not like it complaining that it was not sturdy enough. Much like a lot of officers in the Civil War did not like the 1860 staff officer swords preferring the heavier 1850 model instead.
There were a few Civil War officers cavalry swords that had ornate hilt and pommel markings I have seen a few and I should Re- research them a bit before I say no to this one, but yours looks like a model 1872 Light Cavalry Sabre.

P.S.
The site claiming that it was a model 1872 officers sword from the Civil War? The war ended in 1865. I am not knowlegeable of this swords prototype dates or where it was first tested. i.e. there are some 1859 prototypes (3000 to be exact) of the 1860 Light cav. Sabre. I don't know how far in advance the 1872 was tested before approval by the Army
 
mtnman

thanks so much for the info. i have only posted a few times on these forums but i read them a lot sense i found them a month ago. the wealth of knowledge that some of you have about the past is priceless..

yes i knew the war ended in 65 thats why i was betting that guy was using that line as a sale pitch to catch a unknowing person...why people must use such tactics is beyond me...

thanks again

kaz
 
Hi Kaz
Glad to be of help. I will research a bit further and see when and where the 1872 was prototyped and tested. I doubt before 1865 but I have been wrong before. I am NOT a sword expert. There are a lot of swords out there that are not genuine. Many dubbed as Civil War are real swords but made after 1865 as is the case with some of the model 1860 Staff officer swords from the Indian war period. These are usually identified by the Blade's shape. Another to be ware of is the Ames 1860 Cavalry Sabre REMAKES marked US ADK 1862 that are being sold as genuine. If you look closely at them the stampings are not done in the correct Letter style for an 1862. There are Genuine 1860's marked US ADK 1862 I have seen them. Some even claim to be selling Genuine Civil War swords that have a nut on the Pommel holding the Sword tang to the hilt.
I am told by expert sword collectors that the nut on the Tang did not appear until the very early 1900's prior to WWI. I am just a collector who learned a lot the hard way. There is a site that can really help anyone interested in edged weapons they have expert help. Look up the Internet sword collectors association. They are very good at anything "sword"

http://hometown.aol.com/machood/swordsociety1.html

Mtnman
 
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