British Swords For Sale

18th century English small-sword. Cut steel hilt. The blade is of incurved triangular design. Some of the original bluing and gilt designs remain on the blade. 32 inch blade, 39 inch overall length.

This sword is one of the most attractive of British Army pattern swords and is still worn by officers of the Household Cavalry. It was first adopted in the 1834 Dress Regulations and designated for use by officers of the 1st Life Guards. The sword has a half basket, steel pierced hilt with regimental cipher of the Royal Horse Guards in brass; the edges of the basket are ornamented with twelve plain brass studs; back piece of plain polished steel, with a brass cap; straight cut and thrust blade with hatchet edge and square back, blade is 38 inches long. The scabbard is nickle plated steel with gilted brass mounts. The grip is fish skin with silver twistwire. The blade is engraved and marked “Henry Wilkinson Pall Mall London”.

The sword has a half basket, steel hilt with the royal cipher of George V. The blade is marked with the trademark of “Fenton Brothers Ltd. Sheffield” and “Sword Cutlers to the War Office”. The grip is fish skin with twistwire. Blade is 32 inches long, 38.5 inch overall length.

British light cavalry saber, 1796 pattern, with steel scabbard. Curved steel blade marked “Osborn”. This well-known pattern of cavalry sword replaced the 1788 Light Dragoon sword and was used throughout the Napoleonic wars by British light cavalry. The same pattern was carried by both officers and troopers, although the officers often had blue and gilt decoration. The sword was designed by Major-General John Le Marchant, the famous cavalry leader, innovator and founder of the Royal Military Academy now based at Sandhurst. Henry Osborn of Bordesley in Birmingham was commissioned to make the sword according to Le Marchant’s design and it was approved by the Duke of York. The sword is 37.5 inches overall in length and the blade is 32.5 inches. The width of the blade varies; where it meets the hilt it is 1.5 inches wide, in the middle of the blade it is 1.4 inches wide and at its widest, near the point it is 1.6 inches. There was a variation of these sizes as soldiers on campaign sharpened their weapons and altered the length and width slightly. The sword weighs 2 lbs, 9 oz and the steel scabbard weighs 2 lbs, 7 oz. The hilt is described as stirrup-hilted and is wooden, covered in black leather bound with twist wire.