The British Broad Arrow Mark
What is your earliest firearm or sword that is marked with the British broad arrow (pheon) mark of government ownership?
The mark has been around for centuries and was mainly used for marking stores and equipment to discourage pilfering but also used for prisoner clothing and boundary marking stones. It was used with letters to signify different countries.
It does not appear to have been used on firearms or swords until much later.
There was a large gap between the issue of cutlasses from 1804 which were generally marked with the crown and Royal Cypher in script form and the 1840s cutlasses that were marked with the broad arrow. It must have been sometime between these dates.
Does anyone know when the broad arrow was first used on weapons to signify government ownership?
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