sword arrived, along with the book i bought separately. Book is "British Naval Swords and Swordsmanship" by McGrath & Barton, 2013. interesting book, jumps around a lot. it also covers cutlasses, including my UK coast guard cutlass, posted elsewhere here.
as far as i can tell, my sword is late victorian, it says in 1902 they reduced the word width to a max of 7/8 in. (1929 they reduced it even further) tho some 1 in. ones were made post 1902. mine is 1 1/8 in. royal cartouche etching is the later victorian one.blade is sharp and double edged & sharp for about 8 in. from the point rest of the blade, in the etched portion, is dull but not flat. some pitting and staining near the tip, has a ground out rounded nicknear where the lower suspension ring is on the scabbard. no owner's name on blade, just the whiteman info. guard has the late victorian folding guard/retention mechanism, in fine working order. looks like an old warhorse that still wants to charge when it hears the bugle call, but ithat never comes. it's still deadly, warts and all, and rarin' to go. i'll buy it a new sword knot to make it feel better.
