As the story goes, my father-in-law, a doughboy who served in France during World War I, brought the sword home when he was discharged from the Army. A Frenchwoman of his acquaintance gave him the sword, which she said belonged to her deceased husband. I hasten to add that Doughboy Joe was not married when he served in the war.
The hilt of the sword appears to be made of copper or brass, and the blade, which is 34" to 35" in length, is made of steel. The sheath is iron and is entirely covered with rust. The sword and sheath together are heavy and, no doubt, were quite a load when dangling on a belt from the ring of iron on the sheath.
On the blunt side of the blade is an engraved inscription which says as nearly as I can make out "Mre d'Armes de Chât (?) Xbre 1883 Cavrié légère MLé (?) 1822 - (?)1883". The serial number stamped on the handle of the sword is (? ?) A 20893.
I wish we knew a bit more about the sword. I Googled around and found no pictures of the exact same sword, only similar swords. The weapon appears to be an 1883 French cavalry sword, and it seems not to be a hidden treasure worth a bucket of money.
Update from: susan s. in the comments:
What you call the "handle" is also referred to as the "hilt". It is made up of the guard which is what is made of metal and the handle which appears to be wrapped in leather and stitched into ribs to keep it from slipping in the hand. (I learned all I know about these things on the American version of "Antique Road Show.")
What you call the "handle" is also referred to as the "hilt". It is made up of the guard which is what is made of metal and the handle which appears to be wrapped in leather and stitched into ribs to keep it from slipping in the hand. (I learned all I know about these things on the American version of "Antique Road Show.")
ReplyDeleteAnd you never know if it is worth a bucket of money.
BTW, it is a great story!
ReplyDeletesusan s., I added an update with your expert information. :-)
ReplyDeleteI like the story, too. We have a photo of the doughboy, but it's in New Roads, or I would have included it in the post.
I know "Household Cavalry Troopers’ Sword" which my grandfather got when he was retired from military. That sword is 1831 pattern sword.
ReplyDeleteZonia, thank you. I found this link online that seems to show the same sword.
DeleteThe second sword down from the top.
DeleteWell, I still say you should take it to TAR if it ever comes to NOLA. It would be interesting if for no other reason than it is French...
ReplyDeleteMaybe I will if the show comes around. I could carry a truckload of old stuff that I'd like to have evaluated.
DeleteJennifer, all the swords at your link are British swords, which is not really helpful for information about a French sword.
ReplyDelete