Machete.

[David R]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but Mexican stuff seems t go under an ethnographic heading, and the US is not Europe.... so I am posting here.

One big Machete, 31 inches or 79 cm overall,made in the US, and probably mid 19th century from what I have seen here, in a locally made scabbard, which looks like Alligator skin leather. It is definitely leather, but the pattern could be stamped on. The grip scales are horn.

[Rick]

Collins made about a zillion different styles and sizes of machete. A search online for Legitimus Collins will probably be rewarding.
I had a steel industry magazine from the 40's-50's that had an informative article about Collins; I believe I sent it on to Carter Rila. The one thing that stuck in my memory was the process of tempering their blades in molten lead.
We had a member here, Carter Rila, who specialized in machete collecting and was a fount of knowledge on the subject.
That was decades ago unfortunately. :(

[David R]

Doing a quick search this turned up... From "Collins Machetes and Bowies 1845-1965" by Daniel Edward Henry, Page 105. "After receiving some feedback from Cuba, the decision was made to equip the Roughriders (and the first U.S. Volunteer Engineers) with Collins No. 22 Machetes with No. 14 Scabbards, a la the Cubans instead of sabers. 4000 were purchased (some of which went to the rebels) and these were used in training.....

[Tim Simmons]

really nice scabbard

[Ian]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but Mexican stuff seems t go under an ethnographic heading, and the US is not Europe.... so I am posting here. ...You are in the right forum David. :)

[David R]

really nice scabbard

Thank you, it's one of the things that decided me to get it. I was a bit surprised when it arrived, it was a fair bit bigger than it looked in the pictures.