Thank you gents for taking the time on this odd piece. Gav, I do appreciate you posting the original pics here and larger than they appeared in the auction at that! Thanks.
I looked all through my references, but with the exception of a very small section on "private purchase swords" in Gilkerson's, not much more to add. Ribbed iron seemed to be the thing for cutlass. I had forgotten about the ole' briquet, with its brass ribbed grip. Variations of this weapon made it to sea as well, particularly the French styles. Neumann didn't have any ribbed hilts that I saw, but did have a nice primitive colonial American hanger near the back of the sword section with a knucklebow exactly like mine- being a blacksmith-made bar bent in2 places like this one. I did find that old Fagan catalog with the sword similar to mine in blade curvature and crudeness (it's grip was nothing more than a built-up tang) with the rounded knuckle guard being just a plain bar pounded in this shape. It was listed as a 'probable' privateer sword made in the Caribbean, possibly by slaves (?) for some sailor of fortune. Of course, no actual data to back up the information. I think I will start researching just to see if there were any slave-made weapons in the Indies in any museums.
