This French sabre is an interesting hybrid as it marries an 1821 hilt with an 1845 blade. Judging by the patina of the peen, this was not a recent mix up, and is possibly the choice of an officer wanting a lighter hilt on his 1845, or an early adopter of the 1845 blade. The... Continue Reading →

These types of tanto were popular in the Edo and Meiji era. This specific example probably dates from the later. The dagger is not a showroom piece, and was made simply to be used as a light concealed weapon. The blade is still fairly sharp, with traces of sharpening and very little surface discoloration. The... Continue Reading →

This type of sabre equipped all sides during the French revolution, but was made famous by the Garde Nationale, in which Napoleon was affected his early military career. Although most of these sabres follow a certain model, they all differ slightly as no strict guidelines covered their dimensions or appearance. The name petit Montmorency came... Continue Reading →

While this sword is of the 1882 type, it is actually an earlier North African Service type which would explain the lack of nickel plating on the reinforced guard. Officers serving in North Africa, such as the famous Zouaves, popularized this model which eventually replaced the 1845. The reinforced hilt was seen as a plus in an... Continue Reading →

This is another example of the famous petit Montmorency carried by officers, sailors and soldiers prior and during the French Revolution. This type of sabre started to be carried around 1780, and was extremely popular. During the Revolution, they were made by many different private makers in an endless variety of designs, but following the... Continue Reading →

  This 1908 was made in 1915 by Mole, one of the top sword makers of the time in Britain.  It is marked GM for Glanmorgan Yeomanry, a unit that was active on the Western Front and the Middle East. It appears that this sword was repainted at some point in its life, and the leather... Continue Reading →

This is a rare example of a baskethilt (or claymore as Wilkinson would call it) made by the Wilkinson company, renowned as the best swordmaker in Victorian Britain. This specific sword was made in 1921 for T.C.G. Lefroy of the 2nd Highland Light Infantry. Even though it is a late example, it is still made... Continue Reading →

A nice example of a George VI Scottish baskethilt broadsword. This is a model which saw little change since its inception in 1828, sporting a massive basket with a solid full tang blade. The basket liner is in excellent shape, while the ribbons connecting it to the basket have likely been replaced at some point.... Continue Reading →

A nice example of a 1767 pattern smallsword, with the classical triangular blade. The 1767 equipped French infantry officers - and even American ones - until the French Revolution and even throughout. This sword is in great shape, with a nice patina on the blade, no pitting, and solid fittings. If you are looking for... Continue Reading →

For sale, this rare example of a Shashka, probably dating from the 19th century. The sabre is in great shape with a few areas of light pitting and is still relatively sharp. The wooden grip is in excellent shape, very solid with no rattle. The scabbard is in rough shape, missing one of the suspension... Continue Reading →

This is a rare version of the famous 1845 pattern for infantry officers. This one was made for the National Guard, which can be attested by it's marking on the back of the blade "P.D.L." which stands for "Propriété de l'État". Given that this sabre was made in 1868, it was probably used by the... Continue Reading →

This is a restored 1821 French infantry officer sabre, non-regulation. The grip was probably completely restored, with new leather and wire, and the blade repeened. There is a little bit of movement in the guard, but this could be easily corrected with shims. The blade is Solingen made, with the initials of the maker still... Continue Reading →

This 1896 began its life in the hands of Oscar Evan Boulton TD in 1891 (I shall come back on this later), an officer in the Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry. Boulton was born in 1866 in a noble London family and passed away in 1942. As part of this volunteer regiment, Boulton served in the Second Boer... Continue Reading →

This 1896 is a good example of the non-pattern that is the 1896, which is essentially a 1821 heavy cavalry, the pattern becoming the defacto sabre for all types of cavalry officers in 1896. This example was made by Hawks & Co. based in Picadilly, London, between 1901 and 1908. It has the serial number 6573... Continue Reading →

This is a very good and sturdy example of a 1845 sabre, the pattern which inspired many other military sabres across the world. This specific blade was made by Chatelrault in 1882. Based on the rack number (matching on the sword and the scabbard) and the makers mark we know that this was meant for... Continue Reading →

Swords that bear Canadian marks prior to WW1 are rather rare, even more so in the case of cavalry ones. This 1896 bears the usual beaver symbol that is found on Canadian sabres, which otherwise retained all the hallmarks of British ones. The sword is marked with Edward VII's cypher, dating it between 1902 and... Continue Reading →

This sword was likely made during the Napoleonic wars and includes elements that can be found in many different sabres from the french army. The handle is an interesting mix of the design of an Imperial Guard briquet and an An IX cavalry officer sabre. This sword was likely carried by an infantry officer as no official... Continue Reading →

This is a very unique piece of rehilting done in the 19th century. During the romantic era, it was common to rehilt older blades -sometimes family heirlooms- on new hilts. In this case, a late 16th to early 17th century German broadsword blade was attached to a 19th century brass hilt decorated with the arms... Continue Reading →

This is a very nice example of an 1845 artillery officer sabre made by the most renowned sword maker of Britain. The blade of his sword is in great condition with a light patina that highlights the gorgeous Victorian etchings. The blade was made in 1861 for Willoughby Bathurst Hemans, son of George Willoughby Hemans, a famous... Continue Reading →

For sale, a stout example of an 1831 gladius. This sword was issued to most infantry soldiers as a weapon to replace the briquet sabre, but also an everyday tool to build entrenchments or cut wood. for this reason, it sports a rather impressive leaf blade. It is marked to a maker I have not... Continue Reading →

For sale, this 1845 pattern Rifles Volunteers officer sabre made by Pillin in London for Nodder of Liverpool. The nickle plated blade is in near mint condition, with barely visible corrosion and marked "By Pillin, London for Nodder, Church St. Liverpool" and "Volunteer Rifles". The hilt is in excellent condition, very tight and solid. the... Continue Reading →

For sale, this Moroha Zukuri tanto possibly from the late 16th century to the late 17th century. The piece sits in a very nice and tight koshirae with horn kashira, tsuba and kojiri. It could fit in a companion piece which is missing, and has some very discrete cracks on the saya that don't distract... Continue Reading →

The 1857 pattern is a scarce model that was designed for the Royal Engineers. It was produced for a short time and it was equipped with what was known as the Singh's Regular Cavalry hilt. This specific sword was made in August 1872 to an unnamed client by Wilkinson, arguably the most renowned British sword... Continue Reading →