Late 18th Century Spadroon For Comment
 

I spent some time yesterday photographing this beautiful sword. It has been suggested that it would best be described as a Spadroon rather than a Backsword, that it is likely British from the late 18th century, and that the ring indicates naval use. It has a half-basket hilt with what looks like a Horn or possibly Ebony grip. The overall length is 38 1/8 inches. The blade is 31 7/8 inches long and 1 2/8 inches wide where it meets the guard. It has a false edge that is about 5 1/4 inches long. At its widest point, the hilt is about 4 1/2 inches wide. I haven’t been able to locate any makers marks.

Corrections, comments, and suggestions are most welcome.

#111-0232

Nice sword.

I think the ring does not so much mean naval but popular and a trend of the age. As we shall see in one example I attach, it is tough to say a ring must mean naval. I am not sure when we began with that as an absolute but I keep it in mind now.

The half basket look seems to start with infantry hangers and cutlasses back to the mid 18th century. The urn shape pommels last for some decades in various forms, with the 1770s/1780s about the beginning when found on these spadroon blades.

In general, I would put these in the 1780s as the best ballpark, based on traits and some of the blade decorations. The example you show is perhaps the finest furbishing work I have seen and archived and would think woods vs horn due to the crispness of the reeding. The horn grips reeded by steaming and pressing in a mold.

So, this array of attachments may be in a couple of posts to break up my thoughts. I have two sets of photos for this example that clearly shows an officer in what appears to be dragoon of a colonial trim.

I'll have to resize a bunch of these it seems but here is a start

Cheers
GC

More of that sword from a different owner. The sword is now with yet another, I have almost bought it a few times since first seeing it.

Having problems shrinking some of these colossal files hrmmm I'll need to send a zip to a different machine. Maybe over the weekend for that one. Resized twice and still too big.

Here are a couple that are not urns, one quite like the Potter grips and bulbous pommels.

I have a slotted hilt urn spadroon with much the same etching as in the first example posted of a dragoon but mine has a standing infantry officer, dressed in 1780s uniform/style. I'll see if that uploads. This mini browser now overloaded.

Anyway, I'll get that other urn half basket up in due time.

Cheers
GC

Here we go but so slow.

This one showing quite Hanoverian character

Cheers
GC

Thanks so much for the great information and photos Hotspur. I deeply appreciate your input.